In Houston, Texas, protests are growing for Mexican Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Hundreds took to the streets demanding justice and protested immigration policies.
The protesters marched from Ervan Chew Park on Sunday and blocked a bridge on Dunlavy Street to traffic. Carrying banners reading 'Abolish ICE' and 'Justice for Lorenzo,' the group demanded a full investigation into the July 7 killing.
The 52-year-old Salgado Araujo was shot by an ICE agent while taking his construction crew to a job site. ICE claimed immediately afterward that Salgado Araujo drove his vehicle toward an agent, who then opened fire in self-defense. However, witnesses gave statements contradicting this account.
In a statement on Thursday, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas did not mention any collision between Salgado's van and a law enforcement vehicle, nor did it explicitly state that the agent feared for his life.
At the march organized by the campaign group Socialist and Liberation Party, an activist called for new protests to bring the city to a complete halt. The activist said, 'We must show ICE, the Trump administration, and the entire country that they should not mess with the city of Houston.'
The Houston protests coincided with a weekend of similar demonstrations nationwide. In Portland, Maine, a march on Saturday demanded justice for Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian who was shot during a traffic stop in Biddeford on July 13.
Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson called for an investigation into ICE's hiring practices, citing allegations that the agent responsible for the Maine incident had mental health issues and a history of domestic violence against his ex-wife.
Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s top immigration official, announced a 'short pause' on traffic stops following the series of deaths. Homan said that at least one officer would now be required to wear a body camera during vehicle stops.
Meanwhile, President Trump argued on his Truth Social account that ICE should continue traffic stops despite the deaths. 'We must be strong, tough, and smart. We cannot give up TRAFFIC STOPS, which are one of ICE’s most important and effective crime-fighting tools,' he wrote.
According to the Associated Press (AP), at least 10 people have died in encounters with ICE and other immigration agents since Trump’s second term began in January 2025. Two of those deaths occurred in Maine and Florida in the days after Salgado Araujo’s killing. According to The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Center, at least 13 others have been injured since the start of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Human Rights Watch data shows that at least 52 people have died while in ICE custody. As of January 2026, ICE had deported more than 540,000 people from the US.
