A woman walks past flowers, candles and signs laid at the memorial of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week, at the 4800 block on Canal Street on Monday July 13, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
A dozen people stood in the rain Sunday at the spot where 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer last week.
On a Sunday afternoon, I expected hundreds of people to be there, filling this stretch of Houston’s East End with flowers, candles and notes of condolences for a man who spent 35 years living in the United States, built a business, paid his taxes and, alongside his wife, raised three sons.
I expected the kind of outrage that brought parts of Minnesota to a standstill after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in 2025.
Article continues below this ad
Instead, there was rain and a dozen people.
Houston has always been fickle about what it takes to the streets. For some causes, it goes hard.
TO HOUSTON, WITH JOY: A newsletter for a city that’s never simple
In 2006, we had the largest immigration-rights protest in our history with an estimated more than 30,000 in attendance. In 2017, some 22,000 turned out for the Women’s March in solidarity with marches in other major cities. Then in 2020, roughly 60,000 people peacefully marched downtown after the murder of Houston native George Floyd, making it the city’s largest demonstration in decades.
Article continues below this ad
There has been protest over Salgado’s death. Some 1,500 people marched down Canal Street carrying banners demanding justice. A few hundred more attended a vigil and protest days later.
But for a city with one of the nation’s largest immigrant populations, it doesn’t feel like enough.
There should be more voices. More outrage. More people demanding answers.
“I’m disappointed in Houston,” said activist Frida Adame. “As an immigrant, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he was brown and that we do not have a full video of what happened.”
In Minnesota, widely circulated videos showed violent clashes between protesters and federal agents, including the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a white U.S. citizen. Those images kept the nation’s attention.
Article continues below this ad
When I last spoke with Adame earlier this year, she had traveled with about 100 protesters to the Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas, to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Federal agents tear-gassed the group.
She believes fear is keeping people silent.
“We saw so many people, so many Mexicans, pack the World Cup soccer events, but where is everyone now?” she said. “I can’t let fear keep me quiet. They are killing us, and I could be next.”
Fear is an effective way to silence a community. It tells people to keep their heads down, mind their own business and hope they are not next.
More than 600,000 undocumented immigrants were living in Harris County in 2023, according to the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. We have the second-largest immigrant population behind Los Angeles County,
Article continues below this ad
Chances are you know someone who is undocumented, whether you realize it or not. They may have built your home, repaired your roof, mowed your lawn or cleaned your office. Many are working quietly, minding their business.
But too many Houstonians have the power to speak up and don’t. Silence never protected anyone.
Adame and fellow activist Stephany Padilla, are organizing a “Justice for Lorenzo” protest at 2 p.m. Sunday at Ervan Chew Park, 4502 Dunlavy. They hope thousands will come.
Houston can decide whether a dozen people in the rain is the end of this story or just the beginning.
Article continues below this ad