A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a Mexican national Tuesday morning in Houston during an attempted immigration arrest, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The agency said ICE officers were trying to arrest Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, whom it said was not authorized to be in the United States, at about 6:50 a.m.
DHS said Salgado Araujo tried to evade arrest. “From information we are receiving, he rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle,” the agency said.
According to DHS, an ICE officer fired “in self-defense,” striking Salgado Araujo. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, the agency said.
Ronaldo Salgado, his son, wrote on Facebook that his father was “a hardworking Mexican man.”
“My father has been in this country for nearly 35 years, working in construction to provide for myself, my two brothers, and my mother,” Ronaldo Salgado wrote. “He was in the process of obtaining his work permit through the legal process. He was on his way to work, picking up his workers. My father did not deserve this.”
According to the League of United Latin American Citizens, which said it had been in contact with the family, Salgado Araujo was driving through Magnolia Park, a historically Latino neighborhood, looking for day laborers when he was shot. LULAC said one of his sons witnessed the shooting, and that witnesses took photos and videos.
The group called for an independent investigation by local officials. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat whose district includes the neighborhood, also called for a full and impartial investigation.
“ICE has released an initial account, but the facts must be independently and thoroughly investigated, including the circumstances that led to the use of deadly force,” Garcia said. “All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed.”
The FBI said it sent an evidence response team from its Houston field office to investigate a potential assault on a federal officer, not the shooting. Houston police said they were not involved, and the mayor’s office referred questions to Homeland Security.
Juana Degollado said her stepfather, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, was in the vehicle with Salgado Araujo when the officer fired.
“They were on their way to work when they were detained,” she told NBC News. “We don’t have any more information on him, we don’t know where he’s detained. We’re hoping we can get a call tomorrow and go from there.”