SAA event in United States of America on Tue 7th July 2026

Authorities have said that the Mexican national was killed while evading arrest, amid calls for an independent review of the evidence.

US authorities confirmed late on Tuesday that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas.

ICE has said that the agent acted in self-defence after Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, attempted to evade arrest and rammed the officer's vehicle.

There were calls from Democrats and Latin American groups for an independent inquiry, however, as in previous cases — such as the killing of Renee Good in Minnesota in January — agents' accounts of officer-involved shootings have differed significantly from video evidence.

"All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation," said Sylvia Garcia, who represents the Houston-area district where the shooting took place in Congress.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that Salgado Araujo was in the United States illegally, while his son, Ronaldo Salgado, told reporters that he had been in the process of obtaining an official work permit.

"My father did not deserve this," he added.

Local resident Juliet Martinez said she took video of the scene as she drove past on Tuesday, saying it showed a bloodied man lying on the ground in handcuffs and groaning in pain.

DHS has said that Salgado Araujo died while being transported to a local hospital.

A small protest sprang up at the site of the shooting, where a makeshift memorial to Salgado Araujo was also established.

The incident is at least the eighth officer-involved shooting involving ICE since the second administration of President Donald Trump began, with the victims including at least two US citizens.

Trump has directed significant resources toward an expansion of ICE operations, including a mass hiring drive that critics say has failed to adequately train new officers in law enforcement procedures.

Residents of cities targeted by intensified ICE operations, including Houston, have described a general atmosphere of fear over arbitrary arrest or violence. ICE detention centres have also faced criticism over allegedly unsafe and unsanitary conditions, particularly for small children.