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(NewsNation) — The family of a Mexican man shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston on Tuesday is demanding answers from Trump administration officials.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo died at the hospital after the encounter with federal immigration officers, which took place just before 7 a.m. local time Tuesday. ICE attempted to pull over the man’s vehicle as part of a targeted enforcement operation to take Salgado Araujo into custody, officials announced after the fatal shooting.
ICE accused Salgado Araujo of ramming an ICE vehicle with his van, refusing to follow multiple commands and weaponizing his vehicle by attempting to run the ICE officer over. The ICE officer fired at Salgado Araujo in self-defense, an agency spokesperson stated.
The man’s son, Ronaldo Salgado, said Wednesday his father was a simple “man of routine” who has been in the United States for 35 years. He added that his father was a hardworking local business owner who worked every day to give his family the American dream.
Salgado said his father was on his way to a project when the encounter with ICE took place. Three other men, including Salgado Araujo’s brother, were taken into federal custody.
“My father did not deserve this,” Salgado wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
An ICE spokesperson said the DHS Office of Inspector General is investigating the shooting, and the FBI is looking into a potential assault on a federal officer.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson responded with the same statement the agency issued Tuesday in response to NewsNation’s request for comment on Wednesday’s news conference in Houston.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s son got word that ‘something bad happened’
Ronaldo Salgado received a call from his mother the day his father died, saying that something bad had happened and that she believed ICE was involved.
“I didn’t think it was (Salgado Araujo), but I had to make sure,” he said at a news conference Wednesday.
Ronaldo Salgado said at 6:45 a.m., his father should have been picking up the last of his crew members. Ten minutes later, his father was shot by ICE after he said unmarked ICE vehicles surrounded the van.
Ronaldo Salgado, son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, wipes away tears while speaking during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Ronaldo Salgado said that he went to the intersection where the shooting took place. He said he saw his father’s van and investigators working the scene.
He saw video of the shooting on Facebook and said he recognized his father’s voice, which he heard calling for help after being shot.
Ronaldo Salgado drove to the hospital but found out his father had died from a local news report.
He said his father spent more than two decades building homes in suburban Houston. Ronaldo Salgado said his father had been working to obtain a work permit and was close to securing his legal immigration status.
He had recently finished building a home for his family and often spent time on the front porch after work, eating a meal his wife had prepared.
“I am deeply heartbroken to see that the man who taught me the value of hard work, family values and education will no longer spend time on that porch,” Salgado said.
Advocates want transparency around ICE shooting
The League of United Latin American Citizens has started a petition for an investigation into the fatal shooting, demanding “every piece of evidence” be released to the public.
LULAC officials said at the news conference the narrative issued by DHS on Tuesday is identical to that used by the federal agency when Renee Good was shot and killed in January in Minneapolis.
“We do not believe them — they are playing by a playbook,” LULAC National CEO Juan Proaño said Wednesday.
He added: “We will have the truth about Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and we will not stop until we do.”
LULAC National President Roman Palomares called the shooting “unacceptable and un-American”.
State and local officials called for a full and thorough investigation into the shooting.
Houston Democratic Mayor John Whitmire said Wednesday that a local investigation cannot supersede an ongoing probe. The mayor called the matter a “tragic, complex issue” but said that the city lacks access to the necessary evidence, witnesses or investigative authorities to conduct a review of the federal government’s handling of the shooting.
However, he, like others Wednesday, called for a transparent, independent investigation into Tuesday’s fatal shooting.
A protester holds a sign that reads, ”No ICE, no fear, immigrants belong here” during a demonstration near the intersection of Wayside Drive and Canal Street in Houston, Texas, on July 7, 2026. The demonstration takes place near the location where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot. (Photo by Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images) “We’re monitoring it very carefully,” Whitmire told reporters following the shooting. “It’s truly a tragedy. … But there’s no involvement with (Houston Police).”
He added, “Our prayers go out to the family and the community that feels the pain and anxiety.”
‘We’ve seen this before’: Houston officials critical of DHS
Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones criticized the Trump administration in her call for justice, according to NewsNation local affiliate CW39.
“The Trump administration has broken public trust and constitutional rights with its extremist immigration enforcement. My prayers are with everyone affected by this death, especially the family members who lost a loved one,” Briones said.
Houston City Councilwoman Dr. Letitia Plummer, who is also the Democratic nominee for Harris County judge, also wants an independent investigation since the situation is similar to the fatal shootings of Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officers in Minnesota earlier this year.
“We’ve seen this before, in Minneapolis,” Plummer said, according to the NewsNation affiliate. “The federal government told us one thing, and the video told us another. Houston families deserve better than being asked to simply take ICE’s word for what happened on their own street.”
This is a family tragedy, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, said. Like other elected officials, she will not stop pushing for a full investigation into the shooting until answers are provided. She said that Salgado Araujo did not have a criminal record and that his death is reminiscent of those in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“We have heard this story before,” Garcia said Wednesday. “We will make sure that answers are not buried.”
She added, “We need to know why Lorenzo was targeted. We need to know who authorized the operation. We need to know whether deescalation was attempted, and we need to know when this family will get answers, when this community will get answers.”
Jeff Arnold is a national immigration enterprise reporter for NewsNation Digital, covering immigration-related issues from the border to cities across the country. Send him story ideas at [email protected].
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