More than 100 demonstrators filled the council chamber and gathered outside Houston City Hall on Tuesday to demand accountability and an independent investigation following the fatal shooting of local business owner Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last week.
Salgado Araujo, a father of three, was shot dead in his vehicle while driving to a construction job site in Houston.
>>> Spain's Journey to the World Cup Final: A Story of Togetherness
The incident occurred amid a series of fatal enforcement actions across the country, including recent ICE shootings in Minnesota and Maine.
Advocacy groups are demanding the release of three passengers who were riding with Salgado Araujo, the publication of the involved ICE agents' names, and the reinstatement of a city ordinance that limits local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Community Members Express Fear and Anger
"ICE hunts us like animals," testified Maria Cervantes, who immigrated from Mexico and grew up in the East End neighborhood where Salgado Araujo was shot.
She expressed deep fear for the safety of the community following the fatal incident.
"I can’t help but think, who’s next? Am I going to get a bullet to the head for being brown?"
Cervantes said.
Local organizers emphasized that the tragedy has united regional and national immigrant rights groups to maintain sustained advocacy.
"We watched what happened in Minnesota and we are seeing what happened in Maine and now in Florida.
It is absolutely ridiculous," said Uncle Eagle, a local organizer with 50501 and the national No Kings coalition.
