A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who lived in the U.S. for decades, as the homebuilder drove his construction crew to a Houston job site.

Investigation and Protests

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, said federal officers were looking for someone else when they attempted to stop Salgado Araujo’s vehicle. DHS said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and that an officer opened fire in self-defense.

Salgado Araujo’s family said he was very close to obtaining legal status in the U.S. after living in the country for 35 years, and that he knew what to do if approached by ICE officers. Ronaldo Salgado, his son, said his father may have been scared that the people in unmarked vehicles were going to steal his tools.

Reaction and Aftermath

The shooting has set off protests in Texas’ largest city and calls from Democrats and Salgado Araujo’s family for an independent investigation. The incident is at least the eighth death during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said it is time to escalate Mexico’s complaints beyond diplomatic channels after the killing of Salgado Araujo. Mexico will request that criminal charges be filed in U.S. courts over the alleged killing of three Mexicans during ICE operations and the deaths of another 14 in ICE custody.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.