Father had lived in U.S. for 35 years, ran homebuilding business
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, was killed July 7 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers chased his white work van through the streets of Houston and shot him through the window in front of his work crew, which included his brother, according to the Associated Press.
More than two weeks later, his two sons testified Friday before the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Houston, describing the horror and confusion of learning their father had been killed and calling for a transparent investigation into how he died and why.
Ronaldo Salgado and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr. read from prepared remarks at the hearing, which included Democratic members of Congress. Their voices often choked with emotion as they described their father as a humble and hardworking family man.
“He didn’t need anybody to know his name,” Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr. told the hearing. “He worked hard to protect and provide for our family, to put me and my siblings through college. He taught us that good things come to those that work hard.”
According to the AP, Salgado Araujo had lived without legal status in the United States for 35 years, ran a homebuilding business, and had never been in trouble with the law.