WASHINGTON, D.C. — Families of people killed by federal immigration agents told Democratic lawmakers Tuesday that government officials repeatedly released misleading or false accounts after fatal encounters, then provided little information about what actually happened.
At the congressional forum, relatives and attorneys described what one lawyer called “dual assassinations” — first the killing of a person, then attacks on that person’s character. The hearing included cases from Texas, Minnesota and Maine and focused heavily on discrepancies between early Department of Homeland Security statements and evidence that emerged later.
One of the clearest examples involved Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by immigration agents in Houston in July. DHS initially said he tried to strike an agent with his vehicle. Three passengers disputed that account, saying Salgado Araujo had stopped and no agent was positioned in front of the van when shots were fired.
Federal officials also raised suspicions that bags found in the van contained methamphetamine. Testing later established that the substance was not meth, U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz confirmed.
Similar concerns were raised about other cases, including the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine, where the government’s explanation changed from claims that he had “weaponized” his vehicle to a later assertion that an agent fired because he was attempting to flee. Families told lawmakers that shifting narratives, delayed disclosures and limited transparency have made independent scrutiny more difficult.
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