Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Shooting: ICE Accused Of Trying To Deport Witnesses Of Houston Shooting

Advocacy group LULAC has accused ICE of pressuring witnesses to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo to self-deport while the incident remains under investigation.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been accused of pressuring witnesses to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo to self-deport following the July 7 incident in Houston, Texas.

According to Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Araujo’s brother and two co-workers, who witnessed the shooting, have been speaking with family members while being held in ICE detention, where they are allegedly being encouraged to sign paperwork for their removal from the United States.

Proaño told The New Republic that the men “hold the key to what actually happened.” Speaking to MeidasTouch, he added that ICE is “trying to get rid of them as witnesses.”

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national and father of three, was fatally shot by an ICE agent while driving to work in Houston on July 7. According to his family, he had lived in the United States for 35 years, operated a small construction business and was working to obtain legal status.

His family said he had breakfast with his wife before picking up co-workers and heading to a construction site when ICE officers in two unmarked vehicles stopped them.

Video of the encounter, reported by NBC News, shows several men lying face down on the ground alongside Salgado Araujo while officers radioed for assistance, although the shooting itself is not visible.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said Salgado Araujo attempted to “evade arrest” and “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer.” The agency said an officer fired “in self-defense.” Salgado Araujo was shot in the abdomen and later died at a hospital.

The Department of Homeland Security told The Independent that its Office of Inspector General is leading an investigation into the shooting, while the FBI’s Houston office is investigating the alleged assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

LULAC has urged authorities not to accept ICE’s version of events “at face value” and has called for the release of body camera footage, surveillance video, radio communications and witness statements. However, Homeland Security said the officers involved had not been issued body-worn cameras because of partial government shutdowns.

The advocacy group also pointed to a previous case involving Marimar Martinez, in which ICE officers claimed a suspect tried to run them over before prosecutors later dropped the charges.

Speaking at a press conference, Salgado Araujo’s son, Ronaldo Araujo, said he learned of his father’s death through a social media video rather than from authorities.

“I recognized him immediately, not from his appearance, but from his voice crying for help as he lay on the street, bleeding out.”

According to Proaño, officers removed all identifying information from Salgado Araujo before he was transported to the hospital as a John Doe. His family is now seeking legal assistance while working to recover his body and arrange his funeral.

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