HOUSTON — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a Mexican national during an enforcement operation Tuesday morning in Houston, prompting calls from civil rights groups and community leaders for an independent investigation into the incident.
The shooting occurred at about 6:50 a.m. during what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement described as a targeted enforcement operation, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Federal officials identified the man as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national whom ICE said was in the United States without legal status.
According to ICE, Araujo attempted to avoid arrest by driving into an agency vehicle and then using his vehicle in an attempt to strike an officer.
“From information we are receiving, he rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and 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 agency spokesperson said.
Authorities transported Araujo to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Federal officials did not immediately report any injuries to law enforcement officers.
The Department of Homeland Security said the Office of Inspector General is leading the investigation into the shooting. The FBI’s Houston Field Office said it is conducting a separate investigation into the alleged assault on a federal law enforcement officer.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) called for an independent federal investigation and urged the Houston Police Department to conduct its own review of the shooting, which occurred in Houston’s East End.
LULAC President Ramon Palomares questioned ICE’s account of the incident and called for investigators to preserve and release all available evidence, including body camera footage, dashboard camera recordings, bystander videos and dispatch records.
“This is not an isolated event across the nation,” Palomares said. “We have seen a pattern of ICE involvement in shootings and excessive use of force.”
Other organizations, including the Texas Civil Rights Project and FIEL Houston, also called for transparency and an independent investigation.
Janie Torres, who lives near the scene of the shooting, said she went to the area after learning about the incident through social media.
“I’m Latina, I’m Chicana, but that could easily be me,” Torres said. “None of the Hispanic community should be having to have fear of going out.”
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
