Key facts
- Witnesses claim a man killed by an ICE agent in Houston was shot through a passenger-side window.
- Witnesses dispute ICE's assertion that the man 'weaponized' his vehicle and that the agent acted in self-defense.
- The incident occurred during an attempted traffic stop by ICE agents.
- ICE has not provided evidence to support the agent's account or released footage of the shooting.
- The detained men claim ICE is pressuring them to leave the country voluntarily.
- ICE declined to release the agent's name, citing safety concerns.
Witnesses dispute the official account of a fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston, claiming the man was shot through a passenger-side window and the agent was not in danger. The incident occurred Tuesday during an attempted traffic stop.
Three men who were in the truck with the driver, identified as 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, told attorney Hugo Balderas Ibarra that the agent fired through the window and that the vehicle was not identified or equipped with lights. Salgado Araujo, a homeowner and resident of the U.S. for over 35 years, was reportedly close to obtaining legal status and had no criminal record.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has not provided evidence to support the agent's claim that Salgado Araujo ignored orders and rammed an agency vehicle, nor that the agent acted in self-defense. The agents involved were not wearing body cameras, and no video or photographic evidence has been released.
Representative Sylvia Garcia stated that ICE's acting director mentioned agents believed one person in the truck, not Salgado Araujo, had a final order of removal. Garcia also questioned the legitimacy of the stop, given the unmarked vehicles and lack of lights.
The three men who were in the truck with Salgado Araujo were detained. Their families report that ICE is pressuring them to leave the country voluntarily, which could hinder any investigation. DHS has called these allegations "categorically false." The agency declined to release the agent's name, citing potential threats and violence.
Salgado Araujo is reportedly the eighth person to die during immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration. The article notes that recordings in several previous incidents have contradicted federal agents' accounts.