Houston Community Mourns Death of Mexican Immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Houston – María Guadalupe García walked somberly through the gravestones at Forest Park Lawndale, a funeral complex in Houston’s East End neighborhood. She came to say her final goodbyes to Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant and father of three, who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop in Texas last week.

“It can’t be, they killed him without mercy,” García said. A longtime neighbor of Salgado Araujo, García recalled his kind nature and dedication to work and family. We always greeted each other, he would ask about my family, and he was a hard-working man, García shared. He raised his children and gave people jobs. What happened is a tragedy.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous due to immigration status, expressed disbelief over Salgado Araujo’s death, saying, We all end up here, buried, but Lorenzo had a lot of life ahead of him.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was honored by hundreds at his public wake on Thursday. Many wore blue, following the family’s request to honor him. Volunteers from various nongovernmental organizations assisted attendees, providing water and refreshments. Cameras and cellphones were prohibited to respect the family’s privacy, and police officers ensured security at the venue.

We will always remember you and demand an investigation into your death, wrote Edgar Morales, a University of Houston student, on a condolence card. We are Hispanic, and now we are afraid that any of us could be killed.

Inside the chapel, Spanish music filled the air, including Juan Gabriel’s iconic song Amor Eterno (Eternal Love), which played several times during the wake. Personal items such as a white safety helmet and jerseys of the Mexican national soccer team, El Tri, were displayed. Family and friends watched as photos of Salgado Araujo were shown on screens.

Ronaldo Salgado, his son, thanked attendees via Facebook for their support. Together with his brother Lorenzo, Ronaldo greeted visitors by their father’s open coffin.

“It was definitely very shocking to see,” said César Espinosa, executive director of immigrant advocacy group FIEL. “But although it’s very painful, he added, “I think it’s also necessary to see it so that we can internalize what’s happening in the United States.” Espinosa stressed the importance of recognizing these realities and taking them seriously.

FIEL and over 30 organizations advocating for immigrant rights plan a march in Houston on Sunday to ensure Salgado Araujo’s case remains in the public eye.

Controversial Shooting Incident

Salgado Araujo, 52, worked in construction and was in a van with three other people on July 7 in the Magnolia Park neighborhood when ICE agents stopped the vehicle. Though Salgado Araujo was not the agents’ intended target, he was shot and killed during the attempted arrest.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed Salgado Araujo attempted to run over agents, who shot in self-defense. They provided no evidence to support the claim.

The FBI requested a search warrant for the van, stating an agent saw bags with a suspected white substance. According to the Salgado family’s lawyer, the substance was salt mixed with lemon and water, used by workers to endure the heat.

Attorney Ruby L. Powers emphasized a search warrant does not equate to guilt and requested analysis of the substance to clear names. Salgado Araujo’s brother and two others in the van were arrested after the shooting.

The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas stated, officers saw in plain view several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance inside the van, leading the FBI to execute a search warrant linked to potential narcotics trafficking.

Houston’s chief prosecutor and the deceased’s family criticised the FBI’s actions, doubting drug presence in the vehicle. Salgado Araujo, who lived in the U.S. for 35 years and had no criminal record, was remembered as a dedicated worker.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state’s top law enforcement unit would investigate the fatal shooting.