The family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo requested an independent investigation after the 52-year-old man was shot by an ICE agent in Houston’s East End. Mayor John Whitmire said the city would not open a separate inquiry while the federal investigation continues.
The death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, which occurred on July 7 during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Houston, entered a new phase after his family demanded public answers and local leaders questioned whether the federal investigation would be enough.
Salgado Araujo, 52, was shot near Canal Street and Wayside Drive in the Magnolia Park area while he was on his way to work, according to family and community organizations. ICE identified him as a Mexican citizen without status in the United States, while his son said he had lived in the country for about 35 years and was in the process of obtaining legal work authorization.
The family seeks answers about the operation
Ronaldo Salgado, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s son, spoke publicly alongside civil rights leaders and urged that his father not be remembered merely as a number in a migration news story.
He described him as a construction worker, a family man, and a man of routine, who left home early to pick up other workers before starting his workday. According to his account, that morning his mother prepared him breakfast and lunch before he left the house.
Ronaldo Salgado said that he first looked for his father at the workplace and then found posts on social media about ICE activity in the East End. Upon arriving in the area, he recognized his father’s work van but could not locate him.
The son said that he eventually identified him from a video posted on social media, not from a direct notification from authorities. He also said that he learned of his father’s death from a social media report and then had to inform his mother.
“He did not deserve to die,” Ronaldo Salgado said. “He didn’t deserve to be reduced to the headline of a Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserves to live as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father, and a job creator.”
The federal version remains under investigation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of which ICE is a part, stated that the operation was a targeted action to arrest Salgado Araujo. According to the federal account, the man attempted to evade arrest, rammed an ICE vehicle, did not obey several verbal orders, and used his vehicle to try to strike an officer.
ICE maintains that the officer fired in self-defense. Salgado Araujo was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The agency’s account has been rejected by family members, community witnesses, and civil organizations, who are calling for the publication of videos, recordings, communications and any available evidence from the operation.
The FBI Houston field office said it is investigating the possible assault of a federal agent. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security is leading the investigation into the shooting.
Houston man dies in encounter with ICE
Whitmire backs federal probe, but council members call for more
Mayor John Whitmire said Houston will not launch a separate municipal investigation while the federal investigation is ongoing. He also noted that the Houston Police Department (HPD) did not participate in the operation.
“There was no involvement by HPD,” Whitmire said during a City Council meeting. The mayor described the case as a tragedy and said the city is monitoring the situation.
The decision drew disagreement among some council members. Edward Pollard argued that the city has responsibility over what happens in Houston and that it can seek video from nearby businesses, speak with witnesses, and gather information from the area.
Councilwoman Alejandra Salinas also called for a thorough and impartial investigation. In a public statement, she asserted that the use of lethal force requires transparency, accountability, and the prompt disclosure of available videos and findings.
Joaquin Martinez, Councilmember for District I, which includes the Magnolia Park area, said his office is in communication with Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia’s office. He also urged not to confuse HPD’s role with the federal operation, noting that the Houston Police Department was not present.
LULAC and FIEL call for preserving evidence in Lorenzo Salgado’s death
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), FIEL Houston, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and other community groups demanded an independent investigation and the preservation of all evidence related to the case.
LULAC requested that body camera footage, patrol camera footage, witness videos, dispatch logs, and communications from the operation be safeguarded and released.
Ramon Palomares, president of LULAC, said the organization is concerned about what it sees as a pattern of shootings and excessive use of force in ICE actions nationwide. The organization also launched a fundraiser to support Salgado Araujo’s family.
Cesar Espinoza, of FIEL Houston, criticized ICE’s initial version and urged that the family receive full answers. The organization has noted that the East End is a historic, working, and predominantly Latino community where Salgado Araujo’s death sparked fear and anger.
Other men were detained during the operation
Ronaldo Salgado said that three men who were with his father, including one of his uncles, were detained during the operation. The family hopes they can testify about what they saw before the shooting.
Relatives of another man detained during the encounter accused the agents of racial profiling the occupants of the van for being Hispanic men on their way to work.
So far, federal authorities have not released videos of the operation nor a complete timeline of events. It has not been publicly disclosed whether any officer was injured.
The community organizes vigils in the East End for Lorenzo Salgado
Neighbors and community organizations held protests near the site of the shooting and announced vigils to remember Salgado Araujo. Candles and flowers were placed at the site.
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, representative of Texas’s 29th District, called for an independent and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the use of lethal force. She also asked that all available evidence, including videos, communications and other materials related to the operation, be preserved.
The federal investigation continues under the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, as the FBI Houston reviews the alleged assault on a federal agent.
