Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have fatally shot ten people nationwide since the start of Donald Trump’s second administration, a Guardian review has found. The killings have taken place during enforcement operations, as well as in other incidents, including one where an off-duty ICE officer shot a man in California.
The latest death occurred this week when 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed by ICE officers during a “targeted enforcement operation” in a suburb. Salgado was driving to work with three colleagues when officers attempted to stop the vehicle. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged that Salgado “weaponised” his car, but his family and civil rights groups have called for an independent investigation.
“He did not deserve to die,” said Salgado’s son, Ronaldo, at a press conference. The DHS has defended its officers, stating they are trained to use minimum force necessary. However, critics argue that the administration’s mass deportation campaign is increasing the risk of violence. “The deaths of people in immigration prisons has reached new terrifying levels,” said Jesse Franzblau of the National Immigrant Justice Center.
In at least four of the fatal shootings, the victims were driving vehicles at the time. The Wall Street Journal identified over a dozen incidents between July 2025 and January 2026 where federal immigration officials fired at moving vehicles. A DHS spokesperson claimed the pattern was of vehicles being used as weapons by violent agitators, but the Guardian found no evidence to support this in the cases examined.
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights has raised alarm over the rising number of deaths in US immigration custody. Last month, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights calculated that 52 people died in ICE custody in the first 500 days of Trump’s second term. Two of the most high-profile shootings involved US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, sparking mass protests.
