ICE accused of trying to cover up 'crime' in death of Mexican migrant in Texas

The lawyer for the family of Lorenzo Salgado, a Mexican migrant who died after being shot by an immigration agent in Houston, has accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of attempting to cover up what he described as a "crime." Domingo García, also a member of the LULAC organization, stated in an interview that ICE allegedly lied about agents not wearing body cameras and falsely claimed Salgado tried to run over an agent.

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They are trying to cover up, in my opinion, a crime, which was the death of Lorenzo Salgado.

"They are trying to cover up, in my opinion, a crime, which was the death of Lorenzo Salgado," García asserted. He claims to have seen videos recorded after the shooting that show cameras attached to agents' vests. The lawyer for three other men who were in the vehicle with Salgado when it was intercepted by ICE has also denied that Salgado intentionally crashed the vehicle into agents' cars or attempted to run them over.

Given this situation, Salgado's family does not trust the federal government to conduct an impartial and independent investigation, García indicated. "The authorities must admit they made a mistake and the person who committed it must be punished. Lorenzo's family needs justice," he declared.

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The authorities must admit they made a mistake and the person who committed it must be punished. The family of Lorenzo needs justice.

García also denounced the treatment Salgado allegedly received after being wounded. According to information gathered by the family, agents removed Salgado's wallet, handcuffed him while he was lying on the ground, and transported him to the hospital still in handcuffs. "I cannot understand why, instead of helping a man who was lying on the floor dying, they treated him like a dog," García said.

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I cannot understand why, instead of helping a man who was lying on the floor dying, they treated him like a dog.

Salgado, 52, originally from the state of Mexico, had lived in the United States for about 35 years. He owned a small construction company with eight employees and worked as a framer. His lawyer recounted that Salgado supported his family with "the sweat of his labor" and paid for his children's university studies. One of his children is a high school teacher, another is an engineer, and the third is still studying. "He was a man who came to live the American dream" and was close to obtaining a work permit and permanent residency, García added. Salgado was heading to work on Tuesday with his brother and two colleagues when ICE agents intercepted the van they were traveling in, in Magnolia Park, a historically Latino neighborhood of Houston. According to the government's version, the agents were trying to apprehend another migrant with an administrative warrant and believed he was in the van.

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He was a man who came to live the American dream.