PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
July 8, 2026
Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278
When Enforcement Operates Without Accountability, Lives Are Lost
Today, we mourn the life of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed yesterday during an ICE enforcement operation in Houston. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and community, who now join the growing number of families grieving because of an immigration enforcement system that racially profiles and criminalizes our neighbors and operates with increasing impunity and little meaningful accountability.
This is not an isolated tragedy. ICE and DHS tactics are putting public safety at risk, while deaths in ICE detention continue to rise. Since President Trump took office in January 2025, at least 52 people have died in ICE custody—the deadliest period in the agency's history. These deaths are not accidents; they are the predictable result of an enforcement system that has been empowered to expand with few consequences when lives are lost.
This killing comes amid a dramatic militarization of our communities and escalation in ICE enforcement, with more than 10,000 people arrested in just five days. Despite the decrease media coverage of aggressive tactics, ICE continues to arrest people at immigration courthouses, traffic stops, routine check-ins, and in communities across the country. No one should lose their life on the way to work or while trying to comply with the immigration system.
Instead of demanding accountability, Congress voted last month to give ICE billions of additional dollars to expand enforcement and detention over the next three years without meaningful guardrails, independent oversight, or enforceable accountability. Expanding the power of an agency with a documented record of abuse while failing to strengthen oversight will only lead to more preventable harm.
We cannot remain silent. We call for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and for meaningful congressional oversight of ICE. At the same time, we must recognize that decades of policies—including the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA)—created the enforcement machinery this administration is now exploiting, with leaders from both parties helping to sustain it. Transforming our immigration system will require courageous leadership willing to reject fear-based politics, center human dignity and accountability, and build a system rooted in justice. Until then, we must remain vigilant, organize our communities, and demand accountability before more lives are lost.
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.
