Mexican President Joins Fight For Justice In ICE Killing Of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

The killing of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at the hands of an ICE agent in Houston this week has not only caused protests to erupt across the city where the fatal shooting occurred, but the outrage has reached the victims country of origin as well. In fact, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, vowed Wednesday that there will be “legal measures” regarding Salgado Araujo’s death that will “go beyond” a simple diplomatic statement or complaints to international authorities.

“Our objective is to go beyond diplomatic notes and the measures we have already raised before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, because we cannot allow the mistreatment of our fellow Mexicans in the United States,” Sheinbaum told reporters, according to ABC 7. “Unfortunately, there has been another death of a Mexican national in the United States for being detained, when that person’s only offense was lacking immigration documents, even though they had been hired by an American company.”

According to CNN, Salgado Araujo, a 53-year-old father of three, had spent the last 35 years working in construction in Houston, where he helped build homes. According to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of his family, he eventually began running his own construction business, and “was known for his work ethic, his fairness, and his willingness to help anyone who needed it.” His son, Ronaldo Salgado, said during a news conference that his father “only wanted to get back to work and back to us.”

From CNN:

Ronaldo Salgado wants the world to remember his father not for how he died but for his life as a family man who believed in the American dream.

“He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of ‘Mexican man shot and killed by ICE,’” he said. “He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father, and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream.”

Salgado Araujo and his wife met when they were teenagers in Mexico, according to their son. He raised his three sons “on the idea of education taking us so far in life,” Ronaldo Salgado said. The eldest son became a teacher, while his brothers went into engineering.

“I am deeply heartbroken to see that the man who taught me the value of hard work, family values and education will no longer spend an evening on that porch,” he said.

CNN noted that Salgado Araujo did not appear to have a criminal record, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which makes it all the more shameful that racists across social media posted what appeared to be the mugshot of a much younger Latino man, misidentifying that man as Salgado Araujo.

As we previously reported, ICE officials claim Salgado Araujo attempted to run a federal agent over with his vehicle as he attempted to flee a stop during what they described as a targeted operation. Officials claim he had been living in the country while undocumented. However, CNN reported that, according to his family, Salgado Araujo was seeking a work permit, which is one reason his family doubts ICE’s account of what happened, claiming he wouldn’t put the pending request at risk by refusing to comply with law enforcement.

As for the Mexican president’s promise of “legal measures,” it’s unclear what, if anything, the government of a nation where the killing didn’t take place could even do, and, according to the Washington Post, President Sheinbaum’s spokeswoman, Paulina Silva Rodríguez, declined to clarify what sort of legal response she intended.

Still, it’s pretty amazing how fast and far the call for justice has spread, with Salgado Araujo’s story catching the attention of high-profile activists, local legislators, and even officials like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has never been shy about publicly advocating for immigrants.

“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo called Houston home for 35 years. On Tuesday, an ICE agent shot and killed him. His family learned of his death from a video before anyone bothered to knock on their door,” Mamdani’s official X account posted Thursday. “New York City stands with the Salgado family in demanding a full, independent investigation and real accountability. To the Salgado family and any immigrant family in this city living in fear: we grieve with you and we will continue to stand beside you in the pursuit of justice. Abolish ICE.”

At the end of the day, there’s no reason for the federal government to target a family man with no criminal record, who has been living and working in the country for 35 years, well over half his life. May he and his family receive the justice they deserve.

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