HOUSTON – Federal lawmakers will be in Houston Friday for a congressional field hearing following the deadly shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer.
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Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the House Homeland Security Committee will hear testimony from Araujo’s family, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, faith leaders and community advocates.
The forum begins at 11 a.m., followed by a press conference at 1 p.m. FOX 26 will livestream both in the video player above.
Houston ICE shooting
The backstory:
Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on the morning of July 7 in Houston’s East End.
His family says the father of three had been in the U.S. for nearly 35 years, was in the process of obtaining a work permit, and was close to obtaining his legal status.
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At the time of the shooting, his family says he was picking up workers on his way to a construction job.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo (Family Photo / FOX 26 Houston)
A federal prosecutor has said that ICE officers that morning were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation and driving a van similar to Salgado Araujo’s vehicle.
ICE officers claim they were trying to conduct a stop on Salgado Araujo’s work van when he rammed their vehicle, refused to follow verbal commands and tried to run over an officer. The agency says the ICE officer shot Salgado Araujo in self-defense.
Three other men were in the van at the time of the shooting. The Associated Press reports that the passengers, according to their attorneys, have disputed DHS’s account of the shooting.