ICE shooting in Houston prompts calls for independent inquiry
DHS said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo used his vehicle against officers; his family and civil rights advocates are calling for scrutiny of the account.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
A federal immigration officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an attempted vehicle stop in Houston on Tuesday, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The death has renewed scrutiny of ICE use of force as federal immigration arrests rise under President Donald Trump’s enforcement push.
ICE identified Salgado Araujo as a Mexican national living in the United States without legal permission and said officers were carrying out a targeted enforcement operation when they tried to stop him. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said he ignored orders, struck an ICE law enforcement vehicle and used his vehicle in an attempt to run over an officer.
Ronaldo Salgado, who identified himself as Salgado Araujo’s son, gave a different account to Telemundo Houston. He told the Spanish-language station that his father had been in the area looking for workers to hire when he was shot.
Reuters reported that surveillance video from a nearby business showed the apparent aftermath of the shooting: a person on the ground beside a white van, surrounded by officers. Reuters said it reviewed the footage.
Demands for review
US Representative Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Texas, called for an independent and thorough investigation of ICE’s account. In a social media post, Garcia said available footage, communications and other evidence should be preserved and examined as part of a full, impartial review.
Juan Proano, chief executive of the League of United Latin American Citizens, also urged a transparent investigation. Proano told The Associated Press that his organization does not accept DHS’s version at face value and said authorities should release all videos tied to the shooting.
The Houston case follows other fatal encounters involving federal immigration officers since Trump expanded immigration enforcement. The Associated Press has reported at least six fatal shootings by federal immigration officers since the start of that crackdown.
Al Jazeera reported that immigration officials in earlier cases, including the January deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, said officers had been attacked before opening fire. Those accounts were strongly disputed in both cases, according to Al Jazeera.
Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, was shot in the head by a federal immigration agent during an operation in Minneapolis, Al Jazeera reported. DHS said Good had tried to hit an agent with her vehicle, while local officials and witnesses said she was trying to drive away.
Al Jazeera reported that backlash over Good’s death and other similar incidents led ICE to pull back from some of its more disputed operations. The Houston shooting came during a renewed increase in ICE arrests nationwide; Reuters reported that officers detained about 2,000 migrants a day last week.
DHS said Salgado Araujo was targeted because he lacked legal permission to live in the country. Calls from Garcia and Proano now center on whether investigators will obtain and release evidence that can test the government’s account of the fatal stop.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.