ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Mexican National During Traffic Stop in Houston

US authorities confirmed late on Tuesday that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas.

ICE has said that the agent acted in self defense after Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, attempted to evade arrest and rammed the officer's vehicle.

Calls for an independent investigation

There were calls from Democrats and Latin American groups for an independent inquiry, however, as in the past — such as the killing of Renee Good in Minnesota in January — agents' accounts of an officer-involved shooting have differed significantly from video evidence.

"All available footage, communications, and other evidence should be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation," said Sylvia Garcia, who represents the Houston-area district where the shooting took place in Congress.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that Salgado Araujo was in the United States illegally, while his son Ronaldo Salgado told reporters that he had been in the process of obtaining an official work permit.

"My father did not deserve this," he added.

Local resident Juliet Martinez said that she took video of the scene as she drove past it on Tuesday, saying it depicted a bloody man groaning in pain laying on the ground, handcuffed.

DHS has said that Salgado Araujo died while being transported to a local hospital.

A small protest sprang up at the site of the shooting, as well as a makeshift memorial to Salgado Araujo.

ICE surge has led to at least 8 deaths

This is at least the eighth officer-involved shooting from ICE since the second administration of President Donald Trump began, with the victims including at least two US citizens.

Trump has funneled significant resources into a surge of ICE activity, including a mass hiring drive that critics have said fails to adequately train new officers in law enforcement procedures.

Residents of cities that have been the target of ICE surges, such as Houston is now, have described a general atmosphere of fear of arbitary arrest or violence. ICE detention centers have also been heavily criticized for their unsafe and unsanitary conditions, particularly for small children.

Edited by: Natalie Muller