Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced they will hold a field hearing next Friday in Houston on the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, was shot and killed by an ICE officer during a traffic stop in Houston one week ago. None of the officers involved wore body cameras, and no video of the shooting has been released.
At a news conference in Washington, DC, caucus members decried the lack of information from ICE about the shooting and said next week’s hearing will include testimony from witnesses and an examination of the facts.
Days after Salgado Araujo’s death, 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Maine.
“The pattern is always the same,” said US Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who represents the Houston area, a Democrat. She cited statements released by ICE following the shootings that said agents acted in self-defense or out of concern for public safety.
“If ICE has the option to shoot anybody for public safety concern, that means what? If you’re speeding down the road violating public safety laws, they may decide to shoot you,” Garcia said.
US Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, emphasized that neither Salgado Araujo nor Guerrero was the target of ICE operations, calling both shootings “cold-blooded murder.”
Caucus members said they have discussed holding a similar field hearing in Maine.