A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a man during an arrest operation in Houston on Tuesday after authorities said he ignored commands to stop and drove his vehicle toward federal officers.
The Department of Homeland Security said the shooting happened after the man, identified as 39-year-old Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, allegedly tried to flee and attempted to ram an ICE agent with his vehicle.
The agent fired in what DHS described as self-defense. Officials said Araujo’s vehicle also struck an ICE vehicle before he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
DHS said Araujo was living in the United States without legal authorization and was the target of a planned immigration enforcement operation.
The FBI has opened an investigation into a possible assault on a federal law enforcement officer.
FBI spokesperson Connor Hagan said agents are investigating the circumstances surrounding the confrontation, while the bureau’s evidence response team processed the scene at DHS’s request.
Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia, whose Houston district includes the shooting scene, called for an independent review of the incident.
While ICE has released an initial account, Garcia said it “needs to be independently verified and investigated.”
“All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation,” she wrote on X.
The shooting is the latest fatal encounter involving federal immigration agents since President Donald Trump intensified immigration enforcement after returning to office.
At least six people have been killed in shootings involving federal immigration officers during the crackdown.
Last year, a federal immigration agent fatally shot 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez during a late-night traffic stop.
DHS said the driver intentionally struck another agent with his vehicle before the shooting, but video released by authorities did not clearly show the vehicle making contact. A grand jury later declined to bring criminal charges against the agent.
In January, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good was shot in the head by a federal immigration agent during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
DHS said she tried to hit an agent with her vehicle, but local officials and witnesses disputed that account, saying she was attempting to drive away.
The Houston shooting remains under investigation.
