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Federal immigration enforcement agents shot and killed a Mexican immigrant in Houston on July 7, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot by ICE agents after they attempted to pull him over in a "targeted enforcement operation" in the city’s East End neighborhood shortly before 7 a.m., according to an agency spokesperson. ICE officials said Salgado Araujo "attempted to evade arrest" and "weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over" an agent. The officer fired "in self-defense," the spokesperson said. Salgado Araujo was taken to a hospital, where he died.USA TODAY has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information on what prompted ICE agents to pursue Salgado Araujo.Civil rights group in contact with man's family, offers reward for informationLULAC, a prominent Latino civil rights group, said it had been in contact with Salgado Araujo’s son, Ronaldo. According to the family, Salgado Araujo was killed as he was starting his workday. Two workers who were with him were detained by immigration agents, LULAC said, citing family members. LULAC stands for the League of United Latin American Citizens.The group said it is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads either to the indictment or exoneration of the agent behind the shooting.Salgado Araujo’s family said the man was in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. USA TODAY has also reached out to DHS for comment on the man's immigration status. Leaders at LULAC slammed ICE’s explanation of the shooting."We’ve heard this excuse one too many times," said Domingo Garcia, a former LULAC president, referring to accusations that Salgado Araujo attempted to weaponize his vehicle and ram agents.Immigration authorities used similar terms to describe the shootings of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a Mexican man killed outside Chicago in September, and Renee Good, a U.S. citizen killed in Minneapolis in January. "He was shot, he was unarmed, and yet the same excuse that we’ve heard time and time again – that he weaponized his van," Garcia said. "Yet when we look at the pictures, there is no damage."LULAC shared photos from the scene of Salgado Araujo’s vehicle. The photos of the front and driver’s side of a white van show no dents or scratches. USA TODAY has not independently verified the images.Garcia called for a full investigation into the shooting, like the inquiries underway in Minnesota into the shootings of Good and Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen shot to death by immigration authorities in January. Mary Benton, a spokesperson for Houston Mayor John Whitmire, said Houston police were not involved and referred questions to Homeland Security.ICE said Homeland Security's inspector general will be investigating the shooting, and FBI officials in Houston will be investigating a "potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer."Texas killing comes amid deportation crackdownThe Department of Homeland Security, the agency charged with enforcing U.S. immigration law, began an aggressive enforcement operation campaign under President Donald Trump. It faced significant criticism from both sides of the aisle after the killings of Villegas-Gonzalez, Good and Pretti.DHS’ defense of its agents in the face of the shootings led to serious shake-ups at the department after its description of what happened was scrutinized and shifted.Uproar, including from Republican lawmakers, over DHS' accounts of the shootings paved the way for the oustings of top officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino.Former Sen. Markwayne Mullin replaced Noem after he was confirmed by the Senate in March.
