The current administration’s mass deportation campaign is facing heavy political scrutiny following the fatal shooting of a 52-year-old construction worker in Texas. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an immigrant who lived in the United States without legal permission for 35 years, was killed by an unmarked Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit in Houston on July 7.
His sons testified before the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday to demand accountability for the operation. They told lawmakers their father had no criminal record. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr. testified that his father worked entirely “to protect and provide” for their family.
The Department of Homeland Security claims Salgado Araujo weaponized his work van to run over an officer during a pursuit. That official account is now disputed. Two surviving passengers submitted statements to a federal court stating the government’s narrative is a lie. They allege the officers were standing safely on the sides of the vehicle and were never in danger of being struck when the fatal shot was fired.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare is leading a local inquiry into the death. He testified that DHS is ignoring requests for basic evidence. The federal agency has refused to provide the name of the officer who fired the weapon. Those three surviving passengers were arrested at the scene and remain in ICE detention, with one of their release petitions sealed.
None of the federal agents involved wore body cameras. The units were never issued the equipment.
The operation has drawn international attention, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly denouncing the shooting. Salgado Araujo’s death marks at least the tenth killing connected to immigration enforcement operations since the administration launched its sweeping deportation policies earlier this year.