Mexico’s government says it will file criminal complaints in the United States to protect the human rights of Mexican citizens caught up in the Trump administration’s mass deportation sweeps. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the plans during her daily press conference on Thursday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum: “What we cannot ignore is the plight of the Mexicans who have died in ICE operations or who are being held in these detention centers operated by private companies contracted by ICE. That is why we are taking further action.”

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said 17 Mexican nationals have died while in the custody of ICE or at the hands of its agents. He’s seeking criminal probes into the deaths and will also send cease and desist letters to the private prison companies that manage ICE jails.

Roberto Velasco Álvarez: “The idea is to move from diplomacy to the prosecutor’s offices to demand investigations, not only from the State Department or the Department of Homeland Security, but directly through the criminal justice system.”