ICE officer kills Houston father during immigration stop, investigations begin

An ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo near Canal Street and Wayside Drive in Houston’s Magnolia Park area at about 6:50 a.m. during a targeted immigration-enforcement stop. Federal, local and internal agencies began examining the encounter.

Araujo had lived in the United States for about 35 years after moving from Mexico. He was a father, a husband and a business owner who ran a construction company that built hundreds of homes in suburban Houston. His family said he had no criminal convictions, and his son Ronaldo Salgado said Araujo spent years working sunrise to sunset so he could send all three of his sons to college.

ICE said officers were trying to stop a vehicle driven by Araujo when he allegedly rammed an ICE vehicle, refused verbal commands and attempted to run over an officer. The family disputed that account and said Araujo would have complied if he had known the men in the unmarked vehicles were immigration agents. The family has demanded an independent investigation and the release of all video and other evidence tied to the shooting.

The Department of Homeland Security said the officers at the scene were not wearing body cameras and had not been issued them because of delays tied to partial government shutdowns in late 2025 and earlier in 2026.

The FBI is investigating the shooting, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is also reviewing the case. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General is separately involved.

Mexico plans to file criminal complaints in the United States over deaths involving Mexican citizens in ICE custody or during immigration operations, and Mexican officials said 14 Mexicans have died in ICE custody while three more have been killed during ICE enforcement actions. Sylvia Garcia joined calls for an independent investigation.