This stance was taken after the U.S. State Department returned a “cease and desist” letter to Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri; the letter had been sent by Mexico earlier in the week to the private company operating the detention center in Adelanto, California.

  Sending the letter to the facility—where four Mexican nationals have died—is part of the actions undertaken by the government in response to the deaths of Mexican citizens while in custody or during operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

  According to *La Jornada*, the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs noted that its head, Michael Kozak, returned the letter to Lazzeri, describing it as an attempt to “direct the actions of U.S. government personnel operating on [U.S.] sovereign territory.”

  Kozak recommended that Mexico “share its concerns through diplomatic channels, as is customary.”

Shortly thereafter, the Mexican Embassy noted that Lazzeri visited the State Department as part of “the diplomatic outreach the Mexican government has pursued this week with U.S. authorities” regarding the deaths of Mexicans in Adelanto.

  During the meeting with Kozak, the ambassador clarified that the letter “is a communication addressed to the private company operating the center, urging it to adhere to applicable protocols and to fully respect the human rights of the individuals in its care.”

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the Latin American nation’s government has begun filing complaints with the relevant state prosecutors’ offices through its Embassy in the United States and its consular network.

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