Two passengers in the van with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on July 7 in Houston, have stated that the officers involved were not in danger of being run over. These accounts contradict the Department of Homeland Security's initial statement that Salgado Araujo had "weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer" and that the officer fired in self-defense.
Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego and Daniel Tirado Pantoja, who were in the van with Salgado Araujo, submitted sworn statements as part of their habeas corpus petitions. Rojas Pliego described the government's account as "a lie" and "impossible," stating that officers were positioned on the sides of the van, not in front or behind it. Tirado Pantoja corroborated this, adding that Salgado Araujo had put the vehicle in park as agents began shooting.
Salgado Araujo, a homebuilder who had resided in the U.S. without legal status for 35 years and had no criminal record, was killed in front of his construction crew, including his brother, Victor Salgado. His killing is one of at least 10 documented during immigration enforcement operations since the start of President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign.
The incident has led to widespread protests in Houston and calls for an independent investigation. Neither the ICE officers nor Salgado Araujo's van were equipped with body cameras, and no visual documentation of the shooting has emerged.
According to Rojas Pliego, he and Salgado Araujo had picked up two other men, including Victor Salgado, on the morning of the shooting. Tirado Pantoja reported that a vehicle began following them closely, causing them to swerve and attempt to turn around. Rojas Pliego stated that the ICE vehicle pursued them and that Salgado Araujo believed they had lost their tail before being cornered.
DHS has maintained that Salgado Araujo rammed ICE vehicles, while a federal prosecutor indicated the officers may have been targeting individuals in a van similar to Salgado Araujo's. Despite these claims, Rojas Pliego insisted that officers were only on the sides of their vehicle and never in front or behind.
Following the shooting, Rojas Pliego stated that Salgado Araujo was pulled from the vehicle while wounded, handcuffed, and thrown to the ground, uttering "Ya me mataron" – "they've already killed me." Rojas Pliego also described being violently removed from the scene, handcuffed, and restrained.
The three passengers who were in the van with Salgado Araujo were arrested and are currently in immigration detention facilities. They have filed petitions challenging their detention. A judge has since barred the government from deporting Rojas Pliego or removing him from the district without court approval, and a similar order was issued for Tirado Pantoja.
Their attorney argued that the circumstances of their detention, given they were allegedly shot at by the very agents now holding them, put them at increased risk. Both men have applied for U.S. visas for victims of crimes and those who assist law enforcement, with their lawyer asserting they are material witnesses to the killing.
Federal authorities, including the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Texas, the FBI, and DHS's Office of Inspector General, have launched investigations into the incident. The FBI's Houston office is leading the inquiry into the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.