Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not the target of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that led to his fatal shooting, according to Representative Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Texas. Salgado, a Mexican immigrant who had lived in the United States for 35 years, was shot during a traffic stop in Houston on July 7. Garcia reported that acting ICE Director David Venturella informed her that neither Salgado nor his brother, who was present in the vehicle, were the individuals ICE officers were pursuing. However, Venturella did not provide additional details.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that officers were conducting surveillance on a target's address and observed a vehicle that resembled the target, prompting them to initiate a stop. The New York Times also reported that ICE was searching for a different individual.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has classified Salgado's death as a homicide. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, with three other men arrested during the operation disputing claims made by DHS that Salgado attempted to use his vehicle against an officer. One of the men, Jose Trinidad Rojas, stated that there were no officers positioned in front of or behind Salgado's vehicle.
DHS acknowledged that officers involved in the operation were not equipped with body cameras due to funding interruptions caused by government shutdowns. Salgado's family has requested an independent investigation into his death, highlighting similarities to another incident involving a DHS claim. DHS has confirmed that its Office of Inspector General is investigating the incident, while the FBI in Houston is leading an investigation into a potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.