‘He did not deserve to die’: family of man fatally shot by ICE agent speaks out

Ronaldo Salgado, right, son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, speaks as his brother Lorenzo Jr holds family photographs during a news conference in Houston. Photograph: David J Phillip/AP View image in fullscreen Ronaldo Salgado, right, son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, speaks as his brother Lorenzo Jr holds family photographs during a news conference in Houston. Photograph: David J Phillip/AP ‘He did not deserve to die’: family of man fatally shot by ICE agent speaks out Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by agent in Texas while on his way to work, and family found out from news reports The family of a Mexican immigrant who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent on Tuesday in Texas called for an independent investigation into his killing, as questions swirl around federal officials’ claims and lack of transparency. “He did not deserve to die,” said Ronaldo Salgado, the son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, during a press conference led by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) on Wednesday in Houston, Texas. Salgado, 52, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official on Tuesday morning, while on his way to work at a construction site. Salgado’s family said he was a “hardworking family man”, had lived in the US for more than 30 years and was in the process of obtaining his work permit. Salgado’s family, including his wife and three sons, found out about his death from news reports. Neither ICE nor local officials informed the family, they said, despite Ronaldo Salgado visiting the site of the shooting to search for answers on Tuesday morning. Civil rights groups and elected officials also called for independent investigation into the shooting, questioning claims by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS has repeatedly come under fire for false and misleading statements and a lack of transparency with ICE-related deaths. According to a DHS statement , ICE officials were conducting a “targeted enforcement operation” in Houston. The department accused Salgado of having “weaponized his vehicle” to run over an ICE official, “resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense”. DHS announced that the department’s inspector general’s office and the FBI are investigating the events, but Salgado’s family, lawmakers and officials are calling for local Houston officials to independently investigate. The statement by DHS echoes similar statements by the department. In January, DHS justified the fatal shooting of Renee Good by claiming she “weaponized her vehicle” against an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Video of the shooting later cast doubt on DHS’s claims. Roman Palomares, the national president of Lulac, a civil rights organization that is helping the Salgado family, criticized ICE and DHS for their claims during Wednesday’s press conference. “We do not believe you, you have not earned that trust,” Palomares said. “ICE has not earned that trust from the American people.” Salgado’s son, three other co-worker