A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, in Houston on July 7, 2026, during an attempt to stop his vehicle, according to an ICE statement.
ICE described Salgado Araujo as an "illegal alien" who tried to evade arrest during a targeted enforcement operation by federal immigration officers. The agency stated that Salgado rammed an ICE vehicle, refused multiple verbal commands, and used his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE officer. This confrontation led to the officer firing in self-defense, striking Salgado, who later died at a hospital.
Ronaldo Salgado, who identified himself as the son of the deceased, told the Spanish-language station Telemundo Houston that his father was shot while seeking workers for hire in the area.
Reuters could not independently verify Salgado Araujo's immigration status or the full circumstances surrounding the shooting. Neither the FBI nor ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, responded to requests for comment.
The incident follows other contested encounters involving immigration enforcement. In October, Marimar Martinez, a Chicago-area woman, was accused of ramming law enforcement officers with her car. She was shot five times but survived; charges were later dropped amid video evidence suggesting agents may have struck her vehicle.
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