ICE killed Houston man who DHS says was not the target of operation

ICE killed Houston man who DHS says was not the target of operation

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Thursday that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Houston, was not the intended target of the enforcement operation. Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for 35 years.

The shooting occurred early Tuesday, July 7, 2026. According to an unnamed DHS official, agents were seeking two individuals from Guatemala and had been surveilling a property where two white vans had been spotted. When officers were nearly at the target's address, they observed a white van and an individual who resembled the target, prompting them to initiate a vehicle stop around 6:50 a.m.

Salgado Araujo was driving three other people in a white van and was on his way to work as a homebuilder. Following the shooting, the three passengers were taken into custody. Advocates identified one of these men as Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, the victim's brother, who remains in an immigration detention center.

ICE agents claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense, alleging that Salgado Araujo attempted to evade arrest and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer. DHS social media posts further claimed he rammed an ICE vehicle and refused verbal commands. Salgado Araujo was struck in the abdomen and died later in a hospital.

The family of the victim and civil rights organizations dispute the agency's account. Ronaldo Salgado, the son of the victim, stated at a Wednesday press conference that his father was a construction worker picking up colleagues to finish work on houses. He suggested his father may have been scared by unmarked cars following him, fearing the people were trying to steal his tools.

"Had my father seen an emblem of ICE, or an emblem that says anything about a law enforcement agency, my father would have complied; he would have stopped,"

Ronaldo Salgado, son of victim, via Time

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat representing the area, stated that acting ICE Director David Venturella confirmed Salgado Araujo was not a target. Garcia noted that the man had no criminal record and was in the process of obtaining legal status. She compared the agency's claims to a January shooting in Minneapolis involving U.S. Citizen Renee Nicole Good, where federal claims of a vehicle being used as a weapon were contradicted by bystander video.

The officers involved in the Houston shooting were not wearing body cameras. DHS attributed this to a record government shutdown and funding disputes involving Democrats, stating the agents were expected to receive cameras within the next 60 days. However, U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, also a Democrat from Houston, asserted that the lack of cameras was a result of decisions by President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.

The shooting is the 10th fatal encounter involving federal immigration officials since the second Trump administration took office. It follows another incident on July 1 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where an ICE officer fired a weapon after a suspect allegedly weaponized a car; that suspect remains at large. Earlier this year, ICE agents shot two Venezuelan men in Oregon and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis; in both cases, video evidence contradicted official agency descriptions of the events.

Multiple investigations are now underway:

• The DHS Office of Inspector General is investigating the shooting.
• The FBI Houston office is investigating the alleged assault on a federal officer.
• The Harris County District Attorney’s office is conducting its own review and consulting with prosecutors in Minneapolis regarding federal agent investigations.

Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), said that security camera footage reviewed by the organization was obstructed by the position of the vehicles. LULAC has offered a $5,000 reward for witness information.