Topline
A man who was shot and killed in Texas earlier this week by federal immigration agents during a traffic stop was not the intended target of an enforcement operation, a Democratic lawmaker said Thursday, amid growing anger over the latest fatal shooting linked to the White House’s immigration crackdown.
Key Facts
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, told the Texas Tribune on Thursday that she spoke with acting ICE Director David Venturella, who told her that the agents involved in the incident did not have any body cameras or dashboard cameras on them.
The incident took place on Tuesday morning when 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was driving a van with three passengers, including his brother, when immigration agents stopped their vehicle.
Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot during the stop, was not the target of an administrative warrant that the agents were acting on, the Democratic lawmaker said.
Earlier on Thursday, the New York Times reported that the targets of the ICE operation were two people from Guatemala, who were not in the van, and Salgado Araujo was a migrant from Mexico who lived in the U.S. for 35 years without authorization.
Garcia said she has received a commitment from the acting ICE director that all agents in the field will be wearing a body camera by the end of the month.
What Has DHS And ICE Said About The Shooting?
In a statement shared with various outlets, an ICE spokesperson said the traffic stop was carried out as part of a “targeted enforcement” operation. The statement alleged that Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer, resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense.” In a press conference on Wednesday, Araujo’s sons said they believed the father tried to get away from the stop because he was being chased by unmarked vehicles.
What Do We Know About The Passengers?
The Times report identified the three other passengers in the van as Salgado Araujo’s brother Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, and Daniel Tirado Pantoja. According to the Texas Tribune, all three are currently being held in the Montgomery ICE Processing Center in Conroe, Texas.
Tangent
On Thursday, the Mexican government said it plans to request criminal charges over the deaths of 17 Mexicans either in ICE custody or during enforcement operations. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government has decided to escalate the matter beyond traditional diplomatic channels after Salgado Araujo’s death, which she described as “not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.” The request for criminal charges will be sent to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Key Background
The fatal shooting of Salgado Araujo is the latest such incident involving federal immigration agents, and it comes months after the killings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good triggered massive protests. The Mexican immigrant’s death also coincides with an expansion of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown across the country. According to the Associated Press, ICE arrested 10,000 people within five days at the end of last month.
further reading
Immigrant killed by ICE was not target of operation, Congress member says (Texas Tribune)
Man Killed by Federal Agent in Houston Was Not the Target of ICE Search (New York Times)