Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas this week drew calls on Thursday for a transparent and independent investigation, even as many of the inquiries into previous deaths at the hands of immigration agents remain in limbo.
Salgado was shot and killed on Tuesday during a traffic stop in Houston’s Magnolia Park neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Salgado had “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense.”
The shooting was at least the 17th time in the last year that federal immigration agents have fired their weapons at people in their cars, then subsequently said the shots were fired in self-defense. In many of those cases — most notably in the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 — the government’s assertions that the motorist tried to run over federal agents were directly contradicted by video or other evidence.
According to The Associated Press, eight people have died in fatal encounters with federal immigration authorities since the Trump administration began its widespread crackdown last summer, including Good and Alex Pretti, whose killings in Minneapolis touched off unrest across the Twin Cities.
No video of the Houston shooting had been publicly released as of Thursday afternoon. But Salgado’s family, along with advocates and elected officials in Texas, are questioning DHS’s version of events. And, citing the government’s recent track record of misrepresenting the events that have led up to previous shootings, they are demanding an independent investigation into Salgado’s killing.
“It is un-American to use lethal force against a human being, then lock away the evidence, hide the video, silence the record and expect his family, the people of Houston and the American public to simply nod and say we believe you, because we don’t,” said Roman Palomares, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, at a press conference on Wednesday. “We do not believe you. You have not earned that trust. ICE has not earned that trust from the American people.”
DHS said its Office of Inspector General is investigating the shooting, which is not likely to satisfy advocates’ demands for an independent inquiry. The FBI in Houston is also investigating the case, but a spokesperson told MS NOW that the bureau is limiting its inquiry to Salgado: “Currently, FBI Houston is only leading an investigation into the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.”
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said in a social media post on Wednesday that his office would normally conduct “an investigation parallel” to the federal government’s in a shooting like this one, but “at this time, federal authorities continue handling all aspects in this case.”
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David Noriega is a MS NOW Reporter based in Los Angeles.
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