Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday her government will pursue legal action against the United States over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shooting a Mexican national in what the Department of Homeland Security has reported was self-defense.
Sheinbaum said Mexico intends to go beyond diplomatic protests and its earlier filing with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, preparing what she called more significant legal measures on behalf of Mexican nationals in the U.S.
She framed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death as part of a pattern tied to immigration enforcement.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents attempted to stop Salgado Araujo’s vehicle at which time he rammed an ICE vehicle, ignored multiple verbal commands, and used his vehicle in an attempt to run over an agent, who then fired his weapon in self-defense. Three other people were detained during the stop.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Wednesday the city will not open its own investigation into Tuesday’s fatal shooting, arguing that the Houston Police Department was not involved and the city has no jurisdiction over federal law enforcement actions.
Whitmire said in a statement he supports calls for a “thorough, transparent, and credible investigation” but believes that effort should be coordinated with federal partners, including Texas’ two U.S. senators, rather than run independently by the city.
The jurisdiction question dominated Wednesday’s city council meeting.
Several members, including Edward Pollard, Alejandra Salinas, and Julian Ramirez, pushed for more transparency and questioned whether the city could still play a role. Pollard, who described himself as a personal injury attorney by trade, argued the city could canvass the neighborhood for surveillance footage, talk to residents and business owners, and pursue any camera evidence the city has jurisdiction over. Pollard said he asked Whitmire directly whether the city would move on those steps and did not receive a response.
The shooting has drawn continued public demonstrations.
An estimated 1,500 people gathered in Houston’s East End on Wednesday night, blocking off Canal Street near the site of the shooting, where mourners had placed flowers and candles. U.S. Reps. Al Green, Sylvia Garcia and Christian Menefee addressed the crowd, with Garcia criticizing ICE for releasing Salgado Araujo’s name before his family was notified. Separately, a GoFundMe campaign for Salgado Araujo’s family started by the League of United Latin American Citizens had raised more than $100,000 by Wednesday afternoon.
One of the men detained during Tuesday’s operation has been identified as Daniel Tirado Pantoja, 43, an employee of Salgado Araujo who was taken into ICE custody at the scene, according to his attorney, Hugo Balderas-Ibarra.
Family members said Tirado has lived in Texas for 30 years and was in the process of obtaining a green card. Tirado is being held at ICE’s Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe as his attorney works to secure his release.
As of publication, ICE and DHS had not released the name of the agent involved in Tuesday’s shooting, and both the FBI and DHS Office of Inspector General investigations remain ongoing.
