Top Democrats Demand Investigation Of Fatal ICE Shooting In Houston

Topline

Some Democrats are demanding an independent investigation into the fatal ICE shooting on Tuesday of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston—at least the third killing this year connected to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns in major cities.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday for a “full, independent and transparent investigation” into the shooting, noting the agency “has provided no evidence to support” claims made hours after his death Salgado Araujo “weaponized” his vehicle “in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer.”

The letter called it a “predictable consequence of an enforcement regime driven by arrest quotas rather than public safety,” noting ICE appears to have ramped up its anti-immigration crackdown, arresting 2,000 people per day in the final five days of June.

The three men in the vehicle with Salgado Araujo said there were no officers in front of or behind the vehicle when they were stopped, The Washington Post reported, citing statements obtained from the men’s attorney.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting—a chaotic scene, followed immediately by a statement from DHS claiming agents were threatened—mirrors those surrounding the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed in two separate incidents in Minneapolis in January.