One week, two killings: Trump’s immigration crackdown turns deadly – again

A Deadly Pattern Emerges

The fatal shootings of two men, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, have unleashed waves of grief and outrage across the US. The two killings in less than a week have rekindled anger over the US’s militarized deportation push, with thousands of protesters demanding that ICE leave the city and for the Department of Homeland Security to reveal the names of the agents involved.

The shootings have galvanized thousands of protesters, and led to calls from local leaders and civil rights groups for independent investigations. In Houston, thousands of protesters have marched to demand that ICE leave the city entirely and for the Houston police department to end all cooperation with the agency. In addition to demanding a full, city-led investigation, they are also asking the DHS to reveal the names of the ICE agents involved and release from immigration custody the three witnesses who were in the vehicle with Salgado Araujo when he was shot.

The two latest shootings echoed each other – and those that came before. Neither victim, it turned out, was the true target of the immigration officers’ operation. Salgado Araujo, of Mexico, had lived and worked in the US for 35 years. He was a husband and the father of three US citizen children. Durán Guerrero, from Colombia, had been working multiple jobs to support his wife and daughter.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – which oversees ICE and the US border patrol – quickly followed up each shooting with statements, but no evidence, that the victims were to blame. Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle” against officers, the DHS said – echoing the language used after officers killed Good, and other people that agents have shot. The DHS said the officers who fired at Durán Guerrero did so while “fearing for public safety”. Witness videos of each incident have already cast doubt on these official statements.

Calls for accountability: ‘This has to stop’ The shootings have galvanized thousands of protesters, and led to calls from local leaders and civil rights groups for independent investigations. In Houston, thousands of protesters have marched to demand that ICE leave the city entirely and for the Houston police department to end all cooperation with the agency. In addition to demanding a full, city-led investigation, they are also asking the DHS to reveal the names of the ICE agents involved and release from immigration custody the three witnesses who were in the vehicle with Salgado Araujo when he was shot.

A Pattern of Impunity

Increasingly, advocates are grappling with a bigger question: what happens when ICE violates people’s rights with apparent impunity? Jasmine Khadem Gonzalez, an immigrant rights organizer with Organized Power in Numbers, said: “Nobody should have to learn their rights standing at a memorial for their neighbor. But that’s where we are right now.”

The Road Ahead

The two latest shootings have rekindled anger over the US’s militarized deportation push, with thousands of protesters demanding that ICE leave the city and for the Department of Homeland Security to reveal the names of the agents involved. The killings highlight the dangers of Trump’s immigration crackdown and the need for independent investigations into the actions of ICE agents.