Sons of immigrant killed by ICE in Texas share grief, demand accountability

Two sons of a man shot dead by US immigration authorities have demanded a transparent investigation into the incident in an emotional hearing with legislators.

Speaking at a Houston hearing with Democratic members of Congress on Friday, the sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo described the “Kafkaesque nightmare” they have experienced since learning on Facebook that their father was the victim of a fatal shooting.

list of 3 items

list 1 of 3Trump urges ICE to keep using traffic stops after deadly incidents
list 2 of 3ICE agent behind fatal shooting in Maine reportedly had troubled history
list 3 of 3Protests continue in Houston over ICE killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

end of list

“He worked hard to protect and provide for our family … He taught us that good things come to those that work hard,” the sons said in a pre-written statement, The Associated Press news agency reported.

Salgado Araujo, 52, was killed during a traffic stop by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, prompting thousands of Houstonians to take to the street in protest and to demand justice.

Salgado Araujo was a Mexican immigrant who had lived in the US for more than 30 years without legal status, according to his family. He was not the intended target of the ICE operation that resulted in his killing.

“I learned again from a Facebook post that our dad had been shot,” one son, Ronaldo Salgadok, told the hearing. “Not because I could see him, but because I could hear his voice on videos posted online crying for help.”

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told the hearing that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has ignored his requests for information and evidence surrounding the case, including the name of the officer who fired the fatal shot.

Three other passengers, including Salgado Araujo’s brother, were detained by ICE during the traffic stop. Officials originally claimed that Salgado Araujo had weaponised his vehicle against officers, but the ICE agents were not wearing body cameras at the time and witnesses have disputed this version of events.

Democratic members of Congress are signalling they plan to investigate ICE and enact changes if they regain control of Congress in this November’s midterm elections.

Speaking at Friday’s forum, Democratic Congressman Christian Menefee said ICE needs to be “torn down to the studs” and rebuilt as an agency that recognises the “dignity of the people that it encounters”.

“But we all know that that will not happen under this administration,” he added.

Less than a week after Salgado Araujo was killed, ICE agents fatally shot Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, a Colombian immigrant, in Biddeford, Maine.

Earlier this year, federal immigration agents killed two US citizens in separate incidents in Minneapolis, prompting nationwide outrage and protests.

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