Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican builder, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on Tuesday in Houston, leading to outrage among local leaders and renewed public scrutiny of the agency's enforcement tactics.
Salgado Araujo, who had lived in the United States for more than three decades and was reportedly close to obtaining legal status, was driving his construction crew to a job site when unmarked ICE vehicles pursued him. According to his oldest son, Ronaldo Salgado, his father spent his mornings picking up his crew before working 14-hour days building houses.
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, whose district includes the area where the shooting occurred, stated that federal agents were pursuing a different individual when they attempted to stop Salgado Araujo's van. Garcia cited a briefing from ICE's acting director and emphasized the need for answers, saying, "This should not be happening in our streets or any street in this country."
The Department of Homeland Security stated that an ICE officer fired at the van in self-defense after Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle. However, the family and the three passengers in the van dispute this account. The passengers, through a lawyer, stated that Salgado Araujo was shot through a passenger window and that the ICE officer was not in danger. The family also said that Salgado Araujo had been advised by lawyers assisting with his work permit application on how to proceed if immigration agents stopped him.
Ronaldo Salgado believes his father may have been scared, possibly mistaking the unmarked vehicles for people intending to steal his van or tools. Salgado Araujo entered the U.S. over 30 years ago and settled in Houston with his wife, raising their three sons. His family highlighted his dedication to providing them with the "American dream," with his sons pursuing higher education in engineering.
The shooting marks at least the eighth death during the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign. Salgado Araujo is remembered by friends and neighbors as a hard worker and a kind, soft-spoken man devoted to his family. His wife is described as inconsolable, "very upset... angry, sad, disoriented."