ICE fatally shoots man during enforcement operation in Houston: DHS

ICE fatally shoots man during enforcement operation in Houston: DHS

Dept. of Homeland Security says victim tried to evade arrest in his car

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a man in Houston after he attempted to evade arrest in his vehicle during an operation Tuesday, the agency said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that the man ignored commands to stop and attempted to ram an agent who fired his weapon in self-defence. The man's car struck an ICE vehicle, according to the department, which oversees ICE.

The statement identified the man as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, and said he was living in the country without legal permission. It said federal agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation against Araujo and that he died in hospital.

The FBI's Houston field office is investigating a potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer, said spokesperson Connor Hagan. In addition, representatives of the office's evidence response team responded to the shooting at the request of DHS to process the scene, he said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said the shooting happened during an ICE enforcement operation in her Texas district. She said in a post on X that the agency released an initial account, but that the information needs to be independently verified and investigated.

"All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation."

I am aware of the fatal shooting that occurred during an ICE enforcement operation in my district in the Magnolia Park neighborhood this morning.

ICE has released an initial account, but the facts must be independently and thoroughly investigated, including the circumstances…

Roman Palomares, president of the League of United Latin ​American Citizens, echoed that call: "We have seen a pattern of ICE ⁠involvement in shootings and excessive use of force," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"Each time, a family is left without answers, and a community is left in fear."

Mary Benton, a spokesperson for Houston Mayor John Whitmire, said in a written statement that Tuesday's incident stemmed from "a federal operation," and that Houston police "were not involved."

Asked by Reuters if police were investigating the incident, Jodi Silva, a spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, said "to my understanding, no."

There have been at least six deadly shootings by federal officers since the start of the Trump administration's intensive immigration enforcement crackdown.

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Last year, a federal immigration agent shot and killed a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, during a late-night traffic encounter. A grand jury declined to file criminal charges against the agent. DHS said the agent had fired at the vehicle after the driver "intentionally ran over" his fellow agent. Video footage of the encounter released by authorities does not clearly show the vehicle striking the agent.

In January, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good was fatally shot in the head by a federal immigration agent during a crackdown in Minneapolis. DHS also said Good was trying to hit the agent with her vehicle, which local officials and witnesses disputed, saying she was only trying to drive away.