Ronaldo Salgado has spoken publicly about his father for the first time since his death. Salgado described his father as a tireless worker who lived for his family.
Houston man shot and killed by ICE, family demands justice
ICE officials said Salgado-Araujo “attempted to evade arrest” and “used a deadly weapon on his vehicle in an attempt to run over” the Houston officer.
The son of a man shot and killed by U.S. Customs and Immigration Services in Houston says his father should have been able to relax at home after a hard day’s work the night he was killed, as he always did.
On July 7, ICE agents shot and killed Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Araujo was described by his loved ones and at a press conference as a 52-year-old father of three Americans who have not been convicted of any crime. The agency said the shooting occurred around 7 a.m. after Salgado “attempted to run over” an agent who was trying to take him into custody.
“It hurts my heart to see that he, who taught me the importance of hard work, family values and education, will no longer spend the night on that balcony,” Salgado Araujo’s eldest son, Ronaldo Salgado, told reporters on Wednesday, July 8.
“He didn’t deserve to die. He didn’t deserve to be in the headlines as a Mexican man shot and killed by ICE,” Ronaldo Salgado said.
Immigration authorities did not respond to questions about what prompted officers to stop Salgado Araujo. Authorities called him an “illegal alien” but did not answer specific questions about his status. Salgado said his father was “very close” to obtaining legal status in the United States.
Critics have compared ICE’s explanation that Salgado Araujo “used a deadly weapon on his car” to other shootings the agency has been involved in, including the Renee Good case in Minneapolis in January.
ICE did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Wednesday.
call for investigation
Mr. Salgado called for a thorough investigation into his father’s death. ICE said the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general will investigate the shooting and FBI officials in Houston will investigate “a possible assault on a federal law enforcement officer.”
Houston authorities said they would assist federal authorities in their investigation but had no plans to launch their own investigation, as was the case in Minnesota after the killings of Americans Good Pretty and Alex Pretty.
Salgado said he hopes the three men who were with his father at the time of the shooting, including one of Salgado’s young uncles, will have a chance to testify about what they witnessed.
“I haven’t heard anything from them, but I hope they will testify that my father was in fear for his life because an unmarked car was following him and all he wanted to do was get back to work and get back to us,” Salgado said.
ICE did not respond to questions about the other men detained in connection with the shooting.
“Hardworking and family-oriented person”
Salgado Araujo was a “hard-working, family-oriented man” who started his day like any other on July 7, his son told reporters.
Salgado Araujo woke up at 5 a.m. “earlier than most people in the world,” ate a hearty breakfast made by his wife, patted his dog goodbye, and set off for the day to build a home in the Houston suburbs where he has worked for about 35 years.
According to his son, Salgado Araujo’s unwavering routine was driven by a simple motive: “He dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American Dream.”
Salgado said of his father that his three sons were his “pride and joy” and that he raised them “on the idea that education will take us this far in life.”
Salgado said he graduated from the University of Houston, his younger brother graduated from Tufts University in Massachusetts, and his youngest brother is in college and relies on his father to help pay for his education.
american dream
Salgado said she first knew “something bad happened” to her father shortly after the shooting, but wasn’t sure until hours later when she came across a Facebook video in which she recognized her father’s voice.
“I recognized him right away, not by his appearance, but by his voice as he lay bleeding on the road screaming for help,” Salgado said.
Salgado said that although Salgado Araujo’s encounter with ICE ended his efforts to obtain U.S. citizenship, he still achieved the American Dream.
“Part of his dream was to build a home for himself and his family, like the hundreds of homes he built for himself throughout his career. A home to call home,” Salgado said. “And he did. He made it…and until last weekend, you could find him every night after work resting on the porch, listening to music, petting the dog.”
She added, “That’s how I want the world to know my father, not just as someone who was shot and killed, but as a family man and someone who understood that good things come to those who work hard.”
Shooting sparks protests
Crowds protesting the shooting of Salgado Araujo took to the streets where he died on Wednesday, holding banners that read “Abolish ICE” and placards pointing to Salgado Araujo, the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that Mexico is “preparing legal action” over Salgado Araujo’s death because “we cannot tolerate the abuse of our brothers and sisters in the United States.”
