Mexico launches probe into deaths of 3 migrants in US

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed Wednesday that Mexico’s Foreign Ministry has launched a probe into the deaths of three Mexican migrants in the US state of Arizona.

On Feb. 20, authorities discovered the remains of two adults and one teenager in a vacant lot west of the state capital Phoenix. Officials said their bodies showed obvious signs of trauma.

“(Mexican Foreign) Secretary Marcelo Ebrard is demanding an in-depth investigation to rule out that they have been tortured or murdered by US authorities. That investigation is being carried out,” Lopez Obrador said at a press conference.

Initial reports by the Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix confirmed that the three men were Mexican nationals from the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Subsequently, their family members disclosed that the young men had left home for the US in September 2021.

Authorities identified the victims as 28-year-old Herminio Perez Ramirez, 21-year-old Isauro Martinez Dominguez and 16-year-old Abimael Jimenez Morenos from the Mixe community who were working in the US for the past five months.

On Tuesday, Lopez Obrador and US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar held a meeting to discuss migration and border security. During the meeting, the subject of the three migrants was not discussed, according to Lopez Obrador.

In 2021, US Customs and Border Protection said that over 1.7 million migrants were detained on the US-Mexican border, with most hailing from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Lopez Obrador reiterated his call for immigration reform in the US with a warning to expose politicians who oppose it.​​​​​​​

“There are already many Mexican-Americans. There are 38 million Mexicans in the United States, and it is not possible for our countrymen to be in favor of parties that reject us. It is time to make things clear,” he said.