Witnesses contradict ICE agent's account in Texas shooting

Witnesses to the fatal shooting of a Mexican man by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Texas have challenged the agency's official narrative. Their lawyer stated that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, never attempted to ram the officer with his truck, directly contradicting the ICE version of events.

Salgado Araujo was killed by an ICE agent in Houston on July 10, 2026, while on his way to work. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, claimed Salgado Araujo, described as an undocumented Mexican national, tried to evade arrest and that the agent acted in self-defense. This account has been repeatedly questioned in similar incidents.

"It has become a recurring pattern: ICE officers claim suspects used their vehicle as a deadly weapon, that they tried to run them over, and that the agents fired in self-defense," said Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, the lawyer representing witnesses. He added that his clients confirmed no ICE officer was directly in front of the vehicle and that the shots came from the sides, not the front, undermining the agent's account.

Salgado Araujo is the first person killed by federal immigration agents since January 2026, when U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti died in Minneapolis under disputed circumstances. In those cases, video evidence also challenged initial official statements, leading to national outrage.

Sylvia Garcia, a Texas congresswoman, stated she spoke with the ICE director, who confirmed Salgado Araujo and his brother, a passenger, were not the targets of the operation. Two separate investigations are underway by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. Mexico's president announced plans to file criminal complaints in the U.S. for the deaths of Mexican migrants during ICE operations or while in custody.