A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a Mexican national in Houston, Texas, during a “targeted enforcement operation.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, attempted to evade arrest while officers attempted to stop his vehicle.
The agency accused Araujo of ignoring immigration agents’ commands to stop the vehicle.
Instead, Araujo allegedly “rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer”.
When speaking to Telemundo Houston, Ronald Salgado, Lorenzo’s son, told reporters that his father was shot while he was searching for workers to hire in the area.
Local law enforcement confirmed that Salgado Araujo was shot in the abdomen and taken to the hospital, where he passed.
LULAC Calls For Investigations
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) condemned the incident, urging for a “full federal” and “independent” investigation.
“This is not an isolated event across the nation,” LULA President Ramon Palomares said. “We have seen a pattern of ICE involvement in shootings and excessive use of force. Each time, a family is left without answers, and a community is left in fear.”
Congresswoman Garcia Responds
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) also responded to the incident, calling for a probe of the operation.
“All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation,” Rep. Garcia wrote on X.
The Congresswoman also demanded that “the circumstances that led to the use of deadly force” be presented within the investigations.
“The victim’s family, my constituents, and the entire community deserve a complete and transparent accounting of what happened,” she concluded.
The immigration enforcement agency’s justification for the shooting echoes descriptions of other ICE incidents, including the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis and the shooting of two Venezuelan men in Oregon.
