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Houston homebuilder shot dead by ICE agent while driving crew to job site

Jul 25, 2026·Location: Houston, TX

Country of origin: Mexico

Houston homebuilder shot dead by ICE agent while driving crew to job site
Photo via english.elpais.com

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen who had lived in Houston for nearly 35 years and worked as a homebuilder, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on July 7, 2026, while driving his construction crew to a job site after federal agents in unmarked vehicles pursued him. He had no criminal record and was reportedly close to completing the process of obtaining legal status. DHS and ICE claimed he rammed an ICE vehicle and ignored commands and said without evidence that he was undocumented, but passengers in his van and his family dispute this, saying he was shot through the passenger window while parking with no officer in danger. The FBI suggested bags found in his van contained drugs, but the Harris County district attorney later said they did not; his family said the substance was salt. His sons said they learned of their father's death from a social media video rather than from authorities and later testified at a congressional hearing demanding accountability. His death came within 24 hours of ICE fatally shooting another man, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, during a traffic stop in Maine, prompting DHS to briefly pause most ICE traffic stops before Trump ordered agents to resume the practice. The shooting also prompted sustained protests in Houston, diplomatic complaints from Mexico, and a Harris County grand jury investigation of the agent who fired.

Timeline

Jul 25, 2026—Salgado's sons testified at a congressional hearing demanding accountability; Harris County district attorney disputed FBI's drug claims about substance in his van
Jul 8, 2026—ICE fatally shot another man, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, during a traffic stop in Maine, within 24 hours of Salgado's killing
Jul 8, 2026—DHS briefly paused most ICE traffic stops following the two deaths before Trump ordered agents to resume the practice
Jul 7, 2026—ICE agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while he drove his construction crew to a job site in Houston
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