A passenger who witnessed the fatal shooting of a man by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston says the incident has left him traumatized, unable to sleep, and fearful after watching the deadly confrontation unfold before his eyes.
The witness was riding in a vehicle with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent during an enforcement operation earlier this month. Speaking to CNN, the man said he has been reliving the shooting ever since.
“I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see what happened,” the witness said, describing the emotional toll the incident has taken on him.
According to the witness, ICE agents stopped the vehicle before the situation quickly escalated. He said he heard gunfire moments after officers approached and watched Salgado Araujo collapse. The witness said he feared he would also be shot during the encounter.
The shooting has intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration, particularly after it emerged that the ICE agents involved were not equipped with body-worn cameras. Civil rights advocates and immigration attorneys argue that the absence of body camera footage has complicated efforts to establish exactly what occurred during the encounter.
The Department of Homeland Security has said the agent discharged his weapon after perceiving an immediate threat during the operation. However, attorneys representing Salgado Araujo’s family dispute that account and have called for an independent investigation, arguing that key questions remain unanswered.
The witness said he has since struggled with anxiety and recurring memories of the shooting, adding that he has avoided discussing the incident with many people because of the emotional distress it causes.
The fatal shooting has become one of several recent incidents involving federal immigration officers that have sparked public concern and renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability during immigration enforcement operations. Civil rights organizations have urged federal authorities to release all available evidence, including surveillance footage and investigative findings, as the case proceeds.
