Key facts
- Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national living illegally in the U.S., was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Houston.
- ICE claims the agent fired in self-defense after Salgado rammed an ICE vehicle and attempted to run over an officer.
- Salgado's son stated his father was a construction worker who had no criminal convictions and was close to achieving legal immigration status.
- The FBI is investigating the incident for potential assault on a federal officer.
- Calls for an independent investigation and release of all available video and findings have been made by the family, advocacy groups, and local officials.
Calls for an independent investigation are mounting following the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston. ICE stated that the agent fired in self-defense after Salgado allegedly rammed an ICE vehicle and attempted to run over an officer during a targeted enforcement operation. Salgado, a Mexican national living illegally in the United States, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
At a press conference, Salgado's son, Ronaldo, described his father as a peaceful construction worker who had lived in the U.S. for 35 years and was working towards legal immigration status. He contested ICE's narrative, stating his father had no criminal convictions. Ronaldo learned of the incident through a social media video showing his father bleeding on the street.
Community leaders and elected officials, including U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia and Houston City Council member Alejandra Salinas, have echoed the family's demand for a full, impartial investigation and the release of all evidence, including video footage. Roman Polares, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, criticized the use of fatal force and what he described as an "open season declared on Latinos and communities of color."
ICE stated that its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, would lead an internal investigation, while the FBI would investigate the potential assault on a law enforcement officer. Houston Mayor John Whitmire also called for a transparent, independent investigation but noted that the city would not lead its own inquiry to avoid multiple ongoing investigations.
The shooting occurs amid a recent increase in ICE arrests nationwide. Reports indicate that at least six individuals have been fatally shot by federal immigration officers since the beginning of 2025. The article notes that in several past instances, initial agency accounts of use-of-force incidents have been contradicted by video evidence or other findings.