A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a Mexican national in Houston’s Magnolia Park neighborhood Tuesday morning during what the agency described as a targeted enforcement operation.
The man has been identified as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents attempted to stop Salgado Araujo’s vehicle around 6:50 a.m. in the 6800 block of Canal Street. DHS said Salgado Araujo 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.
Salgado Araujo suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to the Houston Fire Department, and was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Two separate federal investigations are now underway. The FBI’s Houston field office is investigating a possible assault on a federal officer, while the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General is reviewing the shooting itself.
Houston police said they have no role in the case and referred questions to federal authorities. A spokesperson for Precinct 6 Constable Sylvia Trevino, whose district covers the area, said the same.
Salgado Araujo’s son, Ronaldo Salgado, posted on social media that his father had lived in the country for nearly 35 years working in construction and was in the process of obtaining a work permit through legal channels. He said his father was on his way to pick up workers when he was killed.
Salgado appeared alongside civil rights leaders at a Wednesday morning press conference to repeat those claims in person.
The League of United Latin American Citizens has pushed back directly on ICE’s account of the shooting. At Wednesday’s press conference, LULAC officials said photos and video taken by bystanders appear to show little to no visible damage to Salgado Araujo’s vehicle, though they acknowledged they have not reviewed all of the evidence.
Domingo Garcia, chairman of the LULAC Adelante PAC, called on ICE to release body camera footage, dash camera video, dispatch logs and bystander recordings, and said local agencies including the Houston Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office should be part of the investigation rather than leaving it to federal agencies alone.
Several Houston City Council members, including Alejandra Salinas and Joe Panzarella, said they are seeking information on whether any city personnel or resources were involved in the operation. Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin said her office would support a local review of the shooting, and the Harris County District Attorney’s office said it would collaborate with federal authorities on the investigation.
Jacqueline Lucci Smith, the Republican nominee challenging Kamin for Harris County attorney, said the shooting is a reminder that immigration enforcement carries real stakes and criticized Kamin’s past support for policies limiting local cooperation with ICE.
The shooting comes months after Houston City Council passed, then amended under threat of losing more than $100 million in state funding, an ordinance limiting how Houston police coordinate with ICE.
As of publication, ICE and DHS had not released the shooting agent’s name, and DHS had not answered questions about why agents were stopping Salgado Araujo in the first place.
