Houston construction worker fatally shot by ICE agent, witnesses dispute agency's account
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who had lived in the U.S. for nearly 35 years and worked in construction, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on July 7, 2026, during a vehicle stop in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood while on his way to pick up workers for a job. His son, Ronaldo Salgado, said his father was in the process of obtaining a work permit and "did not deserve this." DHS said Salgado Araujo ignored commands and rammed an agent's vehicle before the agent fired in what officials called self-defense, but an attorney representing two witnesses in the van — Daniel Tirado Pantoja, Jose Trinidad Rojas and Victor Salgado, who were handcuffed and taken to an ICE processing center in Conroe — disputed that account. Jose Trinidad Rojas, 51, wrote in a handwritten statement that no officers were positioned in front of or behind the vehicle when agents fired. The shooting prompted calls for an independent investigation from Democratic officials, including Rep. Sylvia Garcia, and immigrant rights groups such as LULAC, and the FBI opened a probe into a potential assault on a federal officer. Salgado Araujo's death was one of 17 deaths of Mexican nationals during U.S. immigration enforcement operations or in ICE custody since January 2025, prompting the Mexican government to announce legal complaints and diplomatic action against U.S. authorities.
































