Houston, Texas - Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was gunned down by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday last week, was mourned during a touching vigil on Saturday.
Salgado Araujo was gunned down by masked ICE agents on Tuesday last week during an attempted traffic stop in Houston. He had been pursued by several unmarked vehicles while driving his construction crew to their latest job site.
During a vigil on Saturday, mourners – including Salgado Araujo's son Ronaldo – wept in solidarity with ICE's latest victim, and numerous speakers expressed rage and anger at yet another migrant killing.
"We are never going to forget that his blood is on Donald Trump's hands," said Christian Menefee, the US representative for Texas' 18th congressional district.
"We are not at war. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not a casualty. He was a human being who was murdered by our government."
ICE officers were reportedly looking for someone else when they pulled Salgado Araujo over. The agency said they had opened fire, hitting him through the passenger window, in self-defense, but provided no evidence to support those claims.
Congressman Al Green, who represents Texas' 9th district, also attended the vigil, telling the crowd: "He deserves justice for what has happened to him and what is going to happen to his family… and where there is no justice, there is no peace."
"I believe that there's an attempt to cover up what has happened, and we must stand up to prevent a cover-up," Green said. "ICE must go."
"I'll keep fighting for him," said Ronaldo Salgado at the Saturday vigil. "He dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American dream."
His brother, Lorenzo Salgado Jr. said it was "a hard moment to be an America," but declared: "We the people will bring justice."