Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday said that her government was "going to take greater measures" following the death last week of a Mexican being held at a federal immigrant detention center.
The death, which was reported on Monday by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), brings the number of deaths of Mexicans in ICE custody between 2025 and 2026 up to 14, based on data presented by the Mexican government last week, and follows the death days earlier of a 19-year-old Mexican in ICE detention.
"We’re now going to take further action. We’re going to take several steps to protest the death of yet another Mexican national in the United States," Sheinbaum said during her daily morning press conference.
Jose Guadalupe Ramos, who was being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk by security staff, ICE said in a press release.
The staff called onsite medical personnel and he was transferred to an area hospital where he was declared dead, ICE said.
Over 65,000 immigrants in ICE custody as of early February
US President Donald Trump launched a mass deportation effort after taking office in 2025, pledging to detain and deport millions of immigrants living in the US illegally.
The number of immigrants in ICE detention has reached record levels, with 68,000 locked up as of early February, despite criticism by opponents who say it is overly punitive and potentially deadly.
At least 31 people died in ICE detention in 2025, a two-decade high, and the current pace threatens to eclipse that.