Houston protests grow after ICE shooting of Mexican worker

Hundreds of protesters filled Houston streets after ICE officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, near Canal Street and Wayside in the Magnolia Park and East End area. His family says he had lived in the United States for more than 30 years, and the killing quickly turned into a demand for answers about what happened in the seconds before the gunfire.

ICE said the shooting happened around 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, during a targeted enforcement operation. The agency said Salgado Araujo tried to ram an ICE vehicle and run over an officer. Family members, civil rights advocates and local elected officials have disputed that account and are pressing for video evidence, witness statements and a full investigative timeline.

His son said Salgado Araujo was driving his construction crew to a job site and was trying to obtain a work permit. He had no criminal record in Harris County. The lack of released footage has left the scene itself, a stretch of street in a heavily Mexican American neighborhood, under scrutiny.

The first major protest came on July 8, when FIEL Houston and the Houston branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation helped organize a demonstration that drew hundreds, with more than 1,000 people marching and chanting, “ICE out of Houston.” A candlelight vigil and a small memorial of flowers and candles were later placed at the site where he died. A second protest was held on July 11 in downtown Houston.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire initially said the city had no jurisdiction and that Houston police were not involved. After meeting with Salgado Araujo’s family, he called for a transparent federal investigation. LULAC and family members also held a press conference demanding accountability, and some potential witnesses were being pressured to self-deport. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said the case reflected a broader pattern of mistreatment of Mexican migrants and that Mexico would pursue legal action.