Federal immigration authorities said a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot an illegal alien from Mexico during a targeted enforcement operation in Houston on Tuesday after the man used his vehicle to try to run over an agent.
Officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, whom the agency identified as an illegal immigrant from Mexico, as part of an operation to make an arrest.
ICE said Araujo tried to flee, rammed an ICE vehicle, ignored repeated verbal commands, and then used his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE officer. The officer fired his weapon in what the agency described as self-defense.
Araujo was hit by the gunfire and transported to a hospital, where he later died.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General is leading the investigation into the agent-involved shooting, while the Houston division of the FBI is investigating the alleged assault on a federal law enforcement officer.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) said she was aware of the shooting.
“ICE has released an initial account, but the facts must be independently and thoroughly investigated, including the circumstances that led to the use of deadly force,” Garcia said on X.
“All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation. The victim’s family, my constituents, and the entire community deserve a complete and transparent accounting of what happened.”
U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) backed Garcia’s call for an independent investigation.
“I fully support an independent and transparent investigation into this shooting,” Menefee said on X. “All information gleaned from that investigation must be made public. ICE’s actions across the country have caused them to lose the faith and confidence of communities. We must ensure transparency in this investigation.”
The shooting comes as ICE said its officers are facing an increase in violent confrontations during immigration enforcement operations.
DHS has said assaults against ICE officers have risen sharply over the past year as the agency expands arrests of illegal immigrants nationwide.
DHS released statistics in January showing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against ICE agents, a 3,200 percent increase in vehicular attacks against them, and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats.
