Pictures of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the 52-year-old Mexican man fatally shot by federal immigration agents, sat atop makeshift altars throughout Wildflower Church in South Austin on Saturday as community members gathered to honor his memory and call for accountability from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The evening vigil for Salgado and “all immigrant lives affected by ICE” drew about 200 people and was organized by a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups. During the roughly hourlong ceremony, speakers shared memories of Salgado, criticized ICE’s enforcement tactics and recounted their own experiences with the agency.
“We begin today by saying, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, ¡Presente!” organizer Juanny Torres told the crowd. “In Lorenzo’s image, we see our fathers, our tíos, our neighbors, our brothers — hardworking brown labor, heart-beating brown lives that this country has exploited and villainized for generations.”
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Hana Yoshimoto kneels in front of an ofrenda for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo after a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A sign with a photo of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is displayed outside a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Scott Delgado hangs butterflies ahead of a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A photo of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is displayed on an ofrenda during a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Neha Shah places flowers on an ofrenda for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo after a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Juany Torres speaks at a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A visitor hold a program with a photo of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on the cover during a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
About 200 people attend a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Photos of people killed during encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are displayed at a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Cristal Silva McCormick, a pastor at Austin Seminary, speaks at a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Saren Rubel hangs ribbons with the names of people killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on a banner after a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A visitor reads about Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A photo of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is displayed on an ofrenda during a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A photo of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is displayed on an ofrenda during a vigil at Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. Salgado Araujo was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Torres then described the events leading to Salgado’s death.
On July 7, Torres said, Salgado woke up, packed his lunch, picked up coworkers and headed to work before he was “murdered by ICE agents.”
Torres said Salgado and his coworkers were driving through Houston’s East End when two unmarked vehicles began following them before agents “ambushed him and shot him to death in broad daylight.”
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Family members have said Salgado, who owned a construction business, was picking up workers when the encounter occurred. He was shot in the abdomen and later died at a hospital.
By the time Salgado’s son arrived, Torres said, his father’s body had already been removed. Torres also said the family has not yet been allowed to recover his remains.
Vigil organizers called for an independent investigation into Salgado’s death, the release of all evidence and video footage from the incident and for lawmakers to end what they described as ICE’s legal impunity.
Federal authorities have not publicly released the full video of the encounter. ICE has said the shooting was an act of self-defense, alleging Salgado ignored commands and either attempted to run over an officer or rammed an ICE vehicle.
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While ICE initially described Salgado as an “illegal alien,” details of his immigration status remain unclear. Family members have said he was seeking a work permit and was close to obtaining legal status before his death.
Speakers describe fear, demand accountability
Sulma Franco, a Guatemalan immigrant who addressed the crowd in Spanish, said immigrants do not feel safe in Texas because of what she described as increasingly harsh immigration policies.
“Our taxes are being used to kill our people,” Franco said. “This money should go to hospitals, to schools, to our community.”
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Franco called Texas the “epicenter of terror of ICE,” citing the state’s high number of immigration detentions. According to the Texas Tribune, Texas currently has more immigrants detained at its 23 detention centers than any other state, and at least 14 other people have died in custody in Texas since January 2025.
“Lorenzo is not the only person who has died in the hands of police and ICE,” Franco said. “Many people have died in detention centers, and they haven’t gotten justice.”
Leticia “Lety” Juarez also shared her experience with ICE.
Juarez said she and her husband were arrested by federal agents on June 15, 2025, handcuffed and separated into different vehicles. During the drive, she suffered a panic attack.
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“I couldn’t breathe, and I was about to faint. They stopped by the side of the road, got me out of the vehicle, and gave me a pill,” Juarez said. “They never called the ambulance or asked if I had any medical records or allergies after they took me to the detention center.”
She questioned what would have happened if the medication had not worked.
Juarez criticized what she described as abuses by immigration agents, including the use of masks and the involvement of local law enforcement agencies.
“I am alone here. My husband was deported. My family was separated,” Juarez said. “We don’t want any family to lose a loved one again in the custody of ICE.”
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Organizers then led a “Presente” ceremony, reading aloud the names of immigrants reported to have died in detention or during encounters with federal agents. After each name, the crowd responded, “¡Presente!”
Community members show support
Eduardo Loo, a Spanish-language radio personality, said he attended to support the immigrant community and represent those who may feel unable to attend.
“For a lot of us who are second generation, we think, ‘That could have been my dad. That could have been my mom,’” Loo said. “For a lot of my friends who are first generation, they’re thinking, ‘That could have been me.’”
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Julia Austin said attending the vigil was the least she could do for Salgado’s family and others affected by immigration enforcement.
“This period of our nation and our administration’s negligence and outright evil . . . it feels evil to me.”