A review of public reports confirms that at least 10 people have been fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents since the beginning of the second Trump administration. The latest incident involved 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed during a targeted enforcement operation earlier this week.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged that Salgado “weaponized” his vehicle during the encounter, a claim frequently cited in recent lethal force cases involving federal agents. However, family members, civil rights organizations, and local officials have challenged the narrative, citing past instances where official statements were later contradicted by video evidence. In several cases, including the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, initial reports of vehicle weaponization were disputed by subsequent footage.
Critics, including the National Immigrant Justice Center, argue that the administration’s aggressive mass deportation campaign is significantly increasing the risk of violence. “Congress has given ICE and CBP billions of dollars, with no accountability for the violence they have brought to our communities,” said Jesse Franzblau, the center’s associate director of policy.
The lack of transparency has led to growing calls for independent oversight. Local prosecutors and lawmakers, including U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia and Texas state representative James Talarico, are demanding full, independent investigations into these shootings. Steve Descano, a commonwealth’s attorney in Virginia and co-founder of a national coalition of district attorneys, noted that federal authorities have shown little interest in self-policing, placing the burden of transparency on state and local jurisdictions.