Day 644 — ICE Officer Fatally Shoots Mexican National Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston; 17th Mexican Death Tied to Trump Deportation Drive

On July 7, 2026 (Day 644, Tuesday), a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, during an attempted immigration arrest in east Houston, Texas. Salgado Araujo had been driving a van carrying a work crew to a construction site when the shooting occurred; ICE alleged he used the vehicle as a weapon against agents, a claim disputed by passengers in the van, who told reporters and their attorney that no ICE agent had been directly in front of the vehicle and that shots came from the sides rather than the front — inconsistent with the agency's account. DHS said the involved officers were not wearing body cameras, attributing the gap to disruptions from the 2025–2026 government shutdowns. Salgado Araujo was pronounced dead at Ben Taub Hospital. His death made him the 17th Mexican national to die during ICE raids or in immigration custody since President Trump returned to office. The killing became a flashpoint in already strained US-Mexico relations, prompting the Sheinbaum government to escalate its response in the following days, including a formal request for U.S. criminal investigations into ICE conduct.