Each morning before the stars faded, a dedicated builder rose from his slumber and departed his home with a mission: to gather his construction crew and craft yet another residence somewhere within the expansive stretch of Houston.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo would arrive home 14 hours later, reuniting with the beloved wife he met in his youth in Mexico and retreating to the humble house he proudly constructed for his family in Houston’s east side.
This tireless routine was Araujo’s life for decades, tirelessly building hundreds of homes over a span of 35 years. Ronaldo Salgado, his eldest son, shared that through his father’s hard work, they built a strong family foundation, paving the way for his three sons to pursue higher education.
Tragedy struck on a Tuesday when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot the 52-year-old Salgado Araujo. The incident occurred as he was being chased by federal agents in unmarked vehicles while transporting his crew to their latest assignment. This event has sparked outrage among Houston’s leaders and has reignited heated debates over ICE’s practices and the broader implications of Trump’s immigration policies.
In response, four Democratic members of Congress who serve the Houston area made a poignant appearance at a vigil on Saturday. There, they vowed to advocate for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, reflecting the community’s strong demand for answers and justice.
“We are never going to forget that his blood is on Donald Trump’s hands,” Rep. Christian Menefee said. “We are not at war. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not a casualty. He was a human being who was murdered by our government.”
Salgado Araujo was not the target of ICE’s operation
Federal agents were looking for someone else when they tried to stop Salgado Araujo’s white van, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said, citing a briefing she received from ICE’s acting director. The Department of Homeland Security has said an ICE officer fired at the van in self-defense after Salgado Araujo, who officials described as an “illegal alien,” rammed an ICE vehicle. They have provided no evidence.
The three men that Salgado Araujo was driving said he was shot through a passenger window and that the ICE officer who fired was not in front of the van or even in danger, a lawyer who has spoken with them said Friday.
His family has also disputed the account from ICE. They said lawyers, who were helping him apply for a work permit, had explained how he should behave if immigration agents stopped him. Salgado Araujo was close to obtaining legal status when he was killed, they said.
“He knew what to do,” Ronaldo Salgado told reporters this week. “He knew not to sign anything. He knew that the first phone call he should make should be either to myself or to my mom. So that way we can get the process started of getting him out.”
He believes his father may have been scared that he was being followed by unmarked vehicles, worried someone was planning to steal his van or his tools.
The shooting in the heavily Hispanic neighborhood is at least the eighth death during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.
A kind, present husband and father
Salgado Araujo entered the U.S. more than 30 years ago, settling in Houston with his wife where they raised their three children.
Education was a constant focus in the house, said Ronaldo Salgado, who is now a teacher. One of his brothers is an engineer. The other is in college studying engineering.
Several childhood friends of Salgado recalled that his father was kind and soft-spoken, always inquiring about his wife’s day and how his sons’ friends were doing after a long day at work.
“We didn’t really see him until the end of the day when he came home to have dinner, but that just shows how much of a hard worker he was,” said neighbor Jessica Alanis Magdaleno. “Everything they have now is thanks to the dedication to that.”
Josué Flores, a friend of Ronaldo Salgado since their freshman year of high school, said he first saw Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at his son’s football game.
“I think it speaks volumes of the kind of person that he was,” Flores said, recalling how Salgado Araujo showed up for his son even after an arduous day of work.
Salgado Araujo’s wife, a relative said, is “inconsolable.”
Ronald Salgado, his oldest son, said at the Saturday vigil that he hoped he was making his father proud.
“I’ll keep fighting for him,” he said.
His brother Lorenzo Salgado Jr. said the shooting of his father was “a hard moment to be an American.”
“Even though my government, my federal government took away my father, we the people will bring justice,” he said. “We the people are America.”
After coming home in the evening, Salgado Araujo liked to listen to music on the porch and pet the family dog. His family has described him as a simple man of routine.
“He did not deserve to die,” Ronaldo Salgado said. “He dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American dream.”
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