A Mexican national fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston had no criminal convictions during his decades living in the U.S. and was driving a crew to a homebuilding site when he was killed, his family and a Texas congresswoman said Wednesday.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo worked from sunrise to sunset for 35 years to send all three of his American citizen sons to college. He had been working toward securing legal status in the U.S. after neglecting that for years as he built homes, his son Ronaldo Salgado said at a news conference.

 He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream,  his son said.

The shooting happened Tuesday in Magnolia Park, a neighborhood that has been a hub for the Mexican American community for a century.

Lorenzo Salgado Jr., son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, holds a family photograph during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Federal officials say their vehicle was rammed but don't provide evidence

Salgado Araujo was shot after he ignored commands and attempted to ram an officer who fired his weapon in self-defense, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday in a statement. ICE officers were targeting him because he was living in the country without legal permission, according to the department, which oversees ICE. The man's car struck an ICE vehicle, the department added.

DHS claimed Salgado Araujo  refused to follow multiple verbal commands. 

 The driver was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted,  the agency's statement said.  The driver was transported to the hospital where he passed away from his injuries. 

Houston firefighters said Salgado Araujo was shot in the abdomen.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said Salgado Araujo had no criminal convictions.

Three other men appeared to be detained as Salgado Araujo lay moaning on the ground, accordin

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