Nine deaths linked to US immigration operations under Trump

A motorist was fatally shot by an immigration agent in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, adding to a series of deaths connected to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. Al Jazeera and The Associated Press reported that at least nine people have died during such operations since Trump returned to office.

The cases include shootings by federal agents, deaths after people ran onto highways, and a fatal fall during a raid. Al Jazeera and AP reported that official accounts have faced challenges from witnesses, relatives and, in some cases, video evidence.

Maine shooting under investigation

Authorities said the Biddeford driver used his vehicle against officers during an attempted arrest, according to Al Jazeera and AP. Senator Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the man had “weaponized” the vehicle against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents before an officer fired.

Witnesses disputed that account, saying the vehicle moved slowly in circles and did not appear aimed at officers, Al Jazeera and AP reported. The FBI is leading the inquiry, with Maine State Police assisting state and federal authorities.

Fatal shootings drew disputes

On July 7, an immigration agent shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, during an enforcement operation in Houston, according to Al Jazeera and AP. The Department of Homeland Security said he lacked legal status, ignored commands and tried to ram an agent, while his son told Telemundo Houston that Salgado Araujo was looking for construction workers to hire.

Mexico said after Salgado Araujo’s death that it would ask the US government to open criminal investigations into deaths of Mexican citizens during immigration operations, Al Jazeera and AP reported. Immigrant rights groups and some Democratic lawmakers also called for an independent investigation.

Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was shot by a federal agent during a March 2025 immigration operation in South Padre Island, Texas, according to records obtained after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by American Oversight. Homeland Security officials said Martinez ran over an agent with his vehicle; his family said he was trying to comply, and his mother said Texas Rangers investigators told her video contradicted the federal account.

In Minneapolis, Border Patrol shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and US citizen, during a January 24 protest against the Metro Surge immigration operation, Al Jazeera and AP reported. Federal officials initially described him as an armed agitator, but bystander video and sworn statements showed him on the ground holding a phone, while footage appeared to show an officer removing a gun from his waistband before another officer fired; his family said he had a permit for the firearm.

An ICE officer shot Renee Good, a US citizen described by local officials as a legal observer, during Minneapolis protests on January 7, according to Al Jazeera and AP. Video showed her turning her car’s wheels away from officer Jonathan Ross before he fired, while Trump administration officials said the officer’s life was in danger from the moving vehicle.

Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, a 38-year-old Mexican line cook, was shot during a September 12 traffic stop in suburban Chicago after dropping off a child at daycare, relatives said. DHS said he tried to evade arrest and dragged an officer with his vehicle, but local police video later showed the agent walking and describing his injuries as “nothing major,” according to Al Jazeera and AP.

Falls and highway deaths

Jaime Alanis, a 57-year-old farmworker from Mexico, died two days after falling about 9 metres from a greenhouse roof during July 10 raids at two Southern California cannabis farms, where authorities arrested about 200 workers, Al Jazeera and AP reported. DHS said Alanis was not in custody and was not being chased by federal agents.

Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, 52, of Guatemala, died after an SUV hit him as he crossed Interstate 210 during an August 14 immigration operation outside a Home Depot in Monrovia, California, police said. DHS said agents were not pursuing him when he ran, according to Al Jazeera and AP.

Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old Honduran man, was killed on October 23 when a pickup truck hit him after an immigration traffic stop in Norfolk, Virginia, Al Jazeera and AP reported. His brother said he was headed to a gardening job; DHS said the stop was targeted and intelligence-based and that Castro Rivera resisted and fled.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.