ICE operation in Houston: 52-year-old Mexican man shot dead during traffic stop

According to the Department of Homeland Security's account, Salgado Araujo had resisted the officers' instructions, rammed an operation vehicle with his car, and then attempted to strike an officer with his vehicle. The department classified the use of firearms as self-defense. The accounts from both sides cannot be independently verified at this time. The information from the department also did not clearly indicate whether a mix-up had actually occurred.

Contradictory accounts

The family of the deceased said that Salgado Araujo, after 35 years in the US, had been on the verge of obtaining legal residency status and had known how to behave when approached by ICE officers. Garcia said: "This is simply one death too many." She called for an independent investigation of the incident: "And if we need to bring in outside, independent experts to investigate the case, then we should do that."

The case is part of a growing number of incidents involving the use of firearms by ICE officers. According to Mexican officials, ICE officers have shot at least 21 people in the past twelve months. Garcia pointed out that video footage from previous operations in similar cases had raised significant doubts about the agency's account.

Mexico sharpens response

Mexico responded with diplomatic and legal force. Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco spoke of a "painful tragedy" and said that, on the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum, the response would no longer be merely diplomatic but also legal, before the prosecutors' offices of the affected states and before the US Department of Justice. Sheinbaum said: "We will do everything in our power, because we cannot remain silent," in the face of the deaths of Mexicans "whose only crime is to work honestly in the United States."

Mexican officials also spoke of 14 Mexican citizens who had died in the custody of the immigration police, and three others who had not survived an arrest by ICE officers. The agency is set to receive an additional $38 billion by 2029. In early July, it became known that ICE had doubled its daily arrest target from 1,000 to 2,000 under pressure from the White House.

Political context and demands

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Houston. ICE officers had stopped the 52-year-old's vehicle after having previously stopped it once already. After the fatal shot, the case was taken up for investigation by both local and federal authorities. Congresswoman Garcia announced that she would continue to pursue clarification of the case and advocate for an independent review.

The Mexican government announced that it would provide consular assistance to the family and pursue the incident through diplomatic channels and through the justice system. At the same time, pressure grew in Washington on the Department of Homeland Security to fully disclose the circumstances of the use of firearms. Critics have long accused the agency of using disproportionate force in operations against migrants.