Federal immigration agents involved in the deadly shooting of a Houston man on Tuesday morning were not wearing body cameras, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Thursday, two days after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot during what authorities described as a targeted enforcement operation.
In a statement, DHS blamed what it characterized as repeated government shutdowns for delays in equipping Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with the devices. The agency said body cameras have recently been deployed to more than half of ICE field offices, with the remaining offices set to receive them within 60 days. DHS stated that the process of purchasing and issuing body-worn cameras to all ICE field offices was interrupted by government shutdowns and that equipping officers with cameras has been a priority for the agency, particularly as officers have faced what it described as a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them.
The absence of body camera footage means investigators will instead rely on witness statements, physical evidence, and other available video to reconstruct what happened during the early morning incident on Canal Street in Houston’s East End neighborhood. The Harris County District Attorney has launched a parallel investigation and is urging anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact investigators. The DHS Office of the Inspector General is leading the federal investigation into the agent-involved shooting, while the FBI is investigating a potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.
Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national whom authorities identified as undocumented, was struck by gunfire around 6:50 a.m. Tuesday after ICE agents attempted to pull over a white van during a traffic stop. According to ICE, Salgado Araujo attempted to evade arrest, rammed an ICE vehicle, refused to follow verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an officer, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Harris County Medical Examiner has ruled the death a homicide, determining that Salgado Araujo died from a penetrating gunshot wound of the torso.
Salgado Araujo’s family and civil rights advocates have disputed the federal account, calling for an independent investigation. His son, Ronaldo Salgado, said at a news conference Wednesday that his father had lived in the United States for nearly 35 years and was on his way to work picking up construction workers when the shooting occurred. Ronaldo Salgado said his father had recently begun the process of obtaining a work permit and had no criminal record. He disputed the government’s characterization, suggesting his father may have feared he was about to be robbed given the unmarked vehicle following him, and would have stopped had he recognized law enforcement.
According to preliminary details obtained by news outlets, Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the ICE operation. Texas authorities had previously notified ICE about two other individuals traveling in a white van believed to be in the country illegally, prompting surveillance of a property. On the morning of the shooting, agents observed a white van with someone who resembled one of the actual targets and initiated the traffic stop.
The shooting has ignited protests in Houston and sparked calls for accountability from elected officials and immigrant advocacy groups. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia called for a full and impartial investigation, saying all available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed. The League of United Latin American Citizens offered a $5,000 reward for witness information and compared the incident to a previous fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis involving Renee Good, whose initial account by authorities was later contradicted by video evidence.
The incident has prompted a diplomatic escalation from Mexico. On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco announced that Mexico will request criminal charges over 17 Mexicans who died in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country decided to “move beyond diplomatic channels” and called the Houston killing “not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.” She stated Mexico would do everything in its power because “we cannot stand silent” in the face of deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States.”
According to the Mexican government, 14 Mexicans have died while in ICE custody and 3 during ICE operations. The request carries no legal weight but will be submitted to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice asking them to consider criminal charges. It will be accompanied by civil lawsuits against companies that operate detention centers.
The fatal Houston shooting comes amid what federal data shows is an escalating pattern of immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration. Houston police have emphasized they were not involved in the incident, with officials noting that the federal nature of the operation and ICE’s exclusive control over evidence limit the city’s investigative role. Still, Mayor John Whitmire and several Houston City Council members have called for transparent federal investigation and public release of findings.