About three dozen neighbors and organizers gathered in Pilsen to call for justice after federal immigration agents fatally shot two people within a week.
Local Reaction
Attendees denounced the July 10 fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant, at the hands of federal immigration agents in Houston, Texas. They also called for justice for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrer, a Colombian immigrant who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent this week in Maine.
Longtime advocates for immigrants and other Chicagoans held a candlelight vigil at St. Procopius Catholic Church to mourn immigrants and others killed by federal immigration agents during the second Trump administration.
Organizers said the recent shootings hit close to home, as ICE agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, a father of two, this fall during a traffic stop in Franklin Park. The shooting was highly controversial — but local officials didn’t launch probes into it.
Call for Investigation
On Thursday, neighbors again called for an investigation into Villegas Gonzalez’s death. “We’re still waiting for justice for Silverio Villegas Gonzalez,” Chicago organizers said.
These deaths follow “a pattern” where agents justify fatal shootings by claiming the victims posed a danger to agents, organizers said. But officials and everyday people have repeatedly questioned if that’s accurate, criticizing ICE agents’ tactics and noting discrepancies in agents’ accounts compared to what eyewitnesses say happened and what video footage shows.
Maine officials said it appears Durán Guerrer was mistakenly shot and killed while agents were searching for another person. The ICE agent who shot him had a violent history and had struggled with mental health since childhood.
The Department of Homeland Security was going to halt traffic stops for immigration arrests after Durán Guerrer’s slaying. But President Donald Trump quickly reversed the decision.
Community Response
Holding candles and pictures of Salgado Araujo, neighbors decried the violence against immigrant communities such as Pilsen under Trump’s immigration crackdown. They called on Congress to start investigations into these incidents and stop more ICE deaths.
“It’s a critical moment for immigrants and, frankly, all communities,” said Carlos Arango, an organizer with the local group Frente Nacional de Inmigrantes, or National Immigrant Front.
The vigil included a Spanish-language Catholic mass where organizers prayed for justice and peace “for Chicago and for every impacted family.” Attendees lit candles to mourn ICE victims.
Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.
