A Department of Homeland Security official has confirmed that the man fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in Houston earlier this week was not the original intended target of the operation. The incident occurred on July 7 shortly before 7 a.m., as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, was reportedly beginning his workday.
According to the DHS official, immigration officers had received a credible tip from law enforcement partners regarding an intended target. Agents had been monitoring the individual’s address for weeks, noting the presence of two white vans. On the morning of the shooting, agents were en route to that address when they spotted a white van containing an individual they believed resembled the target, prompting them to initiate a traffic stop. The agency has not disclosed the identity of the original target, nor has it clarified if any procedures were used to verify the identity of the driver before the encounter escalated.
Officials previously stated that Salgado Araujo, a father of three U.S. citizens, attempted to evade arrest and “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over” an agent. The officer subsequently fired in what officials described as self-defense. However, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has challenged this account. Former LULAC president Domingo Garcia stated, “We’ve heard this excuse one too many times.” LULAC, which has been in contact with the family, noted that other workers were present in the van at the time of the shooting and were subsequently detained.
Salgado Araujo’s family described him as a hardworking man who built homes in the Houston suburbs and was in the process of obtaining legal status in the United States. His son, Ronaldo Salgado, spoke out on July 8, stating, “He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE.” He added that his father “dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American dream” and has called for a full investigation into the death.
The incident has triggered significant community backlash and protests. Furthermore, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has indicated that her government is preparing legal measures, asserting that the country cannot allow the mistreatment of its citizens in the United States. While officials have labeled Salgado Araujo an unauthorized immigrant, they declined to answer specific questions regarding his legal status.
Here's what we know so far about the shooting of Salgado Araujo:
