Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is demanding a transparent investigation after a Houston man was fatally shot by ICE agents during an immigration operation this week, adding his voice to growing calls for accountability over the incident.
The man killed was Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old who had lived in the United States for 35 years. He has been described as an individual who raised his children in the U.S., helped put them through college, and worked hard to support his family.
His son described hearing his father's voice during the incident, crying for help as he lay in the street. His last words, according to his family, were "me están matando,” translated to "they are killing me.”
Kelly responded directly on X, expressing sympathy for the family and calling for change.
"There needs to be a transparent investigation into the shooting that killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo," he wrote. "I can't imagine the pain his family is feeling right now. Too many people have died at the hands of ICE and this Administration has shown little interest in holding anyone accountable. That needs to change."
Fight for Lorenzo
The facts of the incident remain disputed. ICE says agents opened fire after Salgado Araujo rammed a law enforcement vehicle and refused to comply with verbal commands during a traffic stop.
However, an attorney representing three men detained during the incident told a different story, saying his clients maintain the van never struck any agents and that the agents were never in danger.
Surveillance footage obtained by CNN shows unmarked black SUVs pursuing Salgado Araujo's white work van before ICE vehicles rammed into it, after which an agent exited and fired almost immediately.
Notably, Salgado Araujo was not the original target of the operation. Agents had been looking for two other individuals believed to be traveling in a white van and stopped Salgado Araujo because he resembled the target description.
No body camera or dash camera footage has been released; ICE attributed this to agents in the operation not having been issued body cameras at the time.
Multiple investigations are now underway, including probes by the FBI, the DHS Inspector General, and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
