Family demands an independent probe after ICE officer fatally shoots a
man in Houston
[July 09, 2026]
By LEKAN OYEKANMI, JACK BROOK and JEFFREY COLLINS
HOUSTON (AP) — A Mexican national fatally shot by an Immigration and
Customs Enforcement officer in Houston had no criminal convictions
during his decades living in the U.S. and was driving a crew to a
homebuilding site when he was killed, his family and a Texas
congresswoman said Wednesday.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was working toward securing legal status in the
U.S. and knew what to do if stopped by ICE, his son said.
Federal officials said they were stopping the vehicle in an immigration
enforcement operation. Ronaldo Salgado said his father may have been
scared that the people in unmarked vehicles were coming to steal the
tools he had used for 35 years to build homes so he could send his three
American sons to college.
“He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a
headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserved to live a
quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father and a job
creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream,” Salgado
said during a news conference.
The shooting happened Tuesday in Magnolia Park, a neighborhood that has
been a hub for Houston's Mexican American community for a century. On
Wednesday night, hundreds of people marched through the neighborhood
chanting “ICE out of Houston!”
Federal officials say their vehicle was rammed but don’t provide
evidence
Salgado Araujo was shot after he ignored commands and attempted to ram
an officer who fired his weapon in self-defense, the Department of
Homeland Security said Tuesday. ICE officers were targeting him because
he was living in the country without legal permission, according to the
department, which oversees ICE. The man’s car struck an ICE vehicle, the
department added.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said Salgado Araujo had no criminal
convictions.
Houston firefighters said he was shot in the abdomen. He died at a
hospital.
Three other men appeared to be detained as Salgado Araujo lay moaning on
the ground, according to his son, who said one of them was his uncle.
Daniel Tirado was one of the other men in the van and called his wife
briefly to say they were being followed, Tirado's stepdaughter Juana
Degollado told The Associated Press.
“What he remembers is that an ICE agent shot Lorenzo and the van door
was closed,” Degollado said.
Tirado wasn't able to contact his family until Wednesday morning, and
the call lasted only five minutes, his stepdaughter said. They haven't
been able to get additional information from ICE or the FBI.
Jose Rojas was also detained, according to his stepdaughter Griselda
Silva. The 51-year-old Mexican national had lived in the U.S. for
decades without legal status or a criminal record, she said.
ICE has not released the names of the people detained.
Federal officials have not released video or images of the shooting or
the vehicles. Salgado on Tuesday joined civil rights groups and
Democratic officials in urging federal authorities to release all the
footage and other information it has on the shooting.
In several other shootings involving federal officers, initial
descriptions by immigration officials have sometimes been contradicted
later by video evidence.
Civil rights groups say ICE can't be trusted with the investigation
The federal crackdown has created a country where officers think they
can “shoot and explain later,” League of United Latin American Citizens
President Roman Palomares said.
The league offered a $5,000 reward for information and videos from
witnesses. Ronaldo Salgado and several civil rights organizations called
for an independent investigation. Some begged anyone with videos to not
turn them over to ICE.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Salgado Araujo’s family
and the community deserve the truth, but federal authorities are
exclusively handling the investigation.
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Ronaldo Salgado, son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, wipes away tears
while speaking during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in
Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
ICE and DHS representatives have not responded to repeated requests for
additional comment Wednesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin took over the department in
March aiming to keep it away from the controversies that marked the
tenure of his predecessor, Kristi Noem.
The shooting was at least the eighth death resulting from an encounter
with federal immigration officers since the start of the Trump
administration’s immigration crackdown.
Son says his father worked hard for decades
Ronaldo Salgado said his mother was told something bad had happened to
his dad around 7 a.m. Tuesday. After frantically looking for him at his
job site and finding his empty van, he saw a video.
“I recognized him, not from his appearance but from his voice crying for
help as he lay on the street,” Salgado said.
Salgado Araujo met his wife as a teenager in Mexico. She made his lunch
before he left for the day. He would listen to music and pet his dog on
his porch, Salgado said.
Salgado said his dad had started the process of obtaining his work
permit.
“We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended
every appointment," Salgado said. "He was close to obtaining his legal
status.”
Salgado Araujo had biometric scan and fingerprints done earlier this
year and had carefully studied what to do if ICE pulled him over.
“Had my father seen an emblem of ICE or an emblem that says anything
about a law enforcement agency, my father would have complied,” his son
said.
Crowd marches in Houston, and Mexico's president criticizes the
killing
On Wednesday night, a large crowd marched through the city's streets,
with some waving Mexican flags or holding a banner that said “Abolish
ICE,” while others held signs with Salgado Araujo's face on it.
The crowd started feet from where Salgado Araujo was shot and held a
ceremony in his memory and prayer. They also filmed a video for his
family of the crowd chanting, “You're not alone!” Garcia announced that
she and other lawmakers sent a letter Wednesday to DHS demanding
answers.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that the
country is “preparing legal measures” over the killing of Salgado Araujo
because “we cannot allow the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters in
the United States."
In April, Sheinbaum expressed concern about the deaths of Mexican
nationals in U.S. immigration detention, saying her government would
support lawsuits filed by detainees over poor conditions or by the
families of those who died. She raised the detainees' deaths to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and said she was considering
an appeal to the United Nations.
___
Brook reported from New Orleans and Collins from Columbia, South
Carolina. Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle; Gisela
Salomon in Miami; Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C.; and Ryan J. Foley
in Omaha contributed.
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