An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot a man during a traffic stop Tuesday in Houston. The man, identified as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, was a Mexican national who had been living in the U.S. for approximately 35 years and was in the process of seeking legal status.
According to his son, Salgado Araujo would have complied with law enforcement if the officers had identified themselves as ICE or any other law enforcement agency. His son suggested that Araujo might have feared the individuals were attempting to steal his work tools, leading to his apprehension when they initiated the stop.
Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas, who addressed the incident alongside Araujo's family, stated that Araujo had no criminal record. She has called for a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation into the shooting.
Following the incident, three other individuals were reportedly detained by federal officers. Salgado confirmed that one of the detained individuals was his uncle.
"He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE," Salgado stated, emphasizing that his father was a husband, father, and employer who supported other men pursuing the American dream.