ICE says Houston man killed during operation was not the intended target

US immigration authorities have acknowledged that a Mexican man who was fatally shot during an enforcement operation in Houston was not the person officers were originally looking for. The incident has triggered protests, renewed criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and growing calls for an independent investigation into the use of deadly force.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was on his way to work early Tuesday morning when immigration agents stopped the white van he was driving. According to his family, he was taking three co workers to a construction site when the encounter took place. He was shot during the operation and later died in hospital.

The Department of Homeland Security said officers had been conducting a targeted operation to arrest another individual. In a statement, the department explained that agents had previously observed two white vans at a location under surveillance. When they returned to the area on Tuesday, they saw a similar vehicle and believed the driver resembled the person they were trying to locate. Based on that assessment, officers carried out the traffic stop.

Authorities said the situation quickly escalated after Salgado allegedly tried to drive away and struck an ICE vehicle. The department maintains that an officer fired his weapon in self defense. However, the agency has not released any video footage or photographs of the incident, and officials confirmed that the agents involved were not wearing body cameras at the time of the shooting.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said around half of its field officers are now equipped with body cameras and the remaining officers are expected to receive them within the next two months. The lack of video evidence in this case has intensified questions about exactly what happened during the encounter.

Salgado’s family said he had lived in the Houston area for nearly 30 years after arriving in the United States as an undocumented migrant. They described him as a hardworking construction worker with no criminal record who was close to receiving legal authorization to work in the country. His relatives dispute the official account and are seeking a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The shooting led to demonstrations in Houston, where community members demanded greater transparency from federal authorities. Four Democratic members of Congress also called for an independent inquiry, arguing that the public deserves a complete and impartial review of the incident. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, they said previous cases involving the use of deadly force by immigration agents have raised similar concerns and stressed the need for accountability.

The lawmakers questioned the agency’s explanation that the shooting was an act of self defense, saying comparable justifications have been offered in past incidents involving federal officers. They urged officials to provide clear evidence and ensure the investigation is conducted independently.

The case has also drawn attention from the Mexican government. Officials in Mexico announced plans to file criminal complaints in the United States over the deaths of Mexican citizens who have died while in immigration custody or during enforcement operations. Mexican authorities said at least 14 citizens have died while being held by ICE, while three others lost their lives during arrest operations. The government said it wants these cases to be investigated as possible criminal matters and has instructed its legal teams to pursue the issue through the appropriate channels.

As investigations continue, the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo has become the latest case to fuel debate over immigration enforcement practices, the use of force by federal agents and the need for greater oversight during immigration operations.