HOUSTON — The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), one of the nation’s largest immigrant rights advocacy organizations, is demanding an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Houston father who was killed Tuesday morning by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during what the agency described as a targeted enforcement operation in the city’s East End.
According to a press statement released by CHIRLA, Salgado Araujo, a father, son and 35-year Houston resident, was fatally shot during the operation.
ICE said agents attempted a traffic stop near Canal Street around 6:50 a.m. and that Salgado Araujo tried to flee, rammed an ICE vehicle and ignored verbal commands before an officer opened fire, which the agency described as an act of self-defense. Salgado Araujo was shot in the abdomen and later died at Ben Taub Hospital, according to local news reports. Three other men who were with him were detained at the scene.
CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas denounced the killing in the organization’s press statement, calling it “a heartbreaking tragedy that demands immediate response with transparency, accountability, and an independent investigation from officials.” Salas said the organization is calling for “a full, independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death” and for officials to release all findings, including body camera footage, to the public.
In the statement, Salas also pointed to funding behind immigration enforcement nationally, saying Congress has provided ICE and Customs and Border Protection $240 billion over the past 12 months for enforcement, deportation and detention activities “with no accountability or oversight attached.” She argued that communities “deserve to know how their tax dollars are being used” and said immigration enforcement “should never result in the loss of life.”
The shooting has drawn a broader response beyond CHIRLA. According to CBS News, Salgado Araujo had no criminal convictions and had lived in the United States for 35 years, working construction jobs to support his family and put his three sons, all U.S. citizens, through college. His son, Ronaldo Salgado, said at a Wednesday news conference that he identified his father from a video of the shooting by recognizing his voice “crying for help as he lay on the street.”
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, said at the same news conference that Salgado Araujo had no criminal record and questioned why he was targeted, what threat agents believed they faced and whether officers attempted to de-escalate the situation before firing, CBS News reported. Roman Palomares, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said the pattern of ICE’s public statements after past shootings has created a climate where officers “shoot and explain later,” according to the same report. LULAC has offered a $5,000 reward for witness video of the incident.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in its own statement that Salgado Araujo was targeted because he was living in the country without legal status and that he was shot after ramming his vehicle into an officer. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her government would pursue legal action against the United States over the shooting, telling reporters that Salgado Araujo’s “only offense was lacking immigration documents, even though they had been hired by an American company,” according to ABC7 Chicago.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General is leading an investigation into the shooting, while the FBI’s Houston field office is separately investigating the alleged assault on a federal officer, according to local reporting. CHIRLA’s statement did not specify what agency should conduct the independent investigation the organization is requesting but emphasized that any findings, including video evidence, should be made public.
Salas closed CHIRLA’s statement by extending condolences to Salgado Araujo’s family. “We mourn Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, we stand with his family and loved ones, and we reaffirm our commitment to building an immigration system rooted in dignity, justice, transparency, and respect for every person’s humanity,” she said.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
