Recent back-to-back killings in Texas and Maine by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents – and increased ICE raids both locally and nationwide – are reigniting widespread public outrage, including among legislators from the San Fernando Valley.
“We need accountability and transparency and justice – now,” Congresswoman Luz Rivas told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol, adding that her “heart goes out to both victims and their families.”
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo – a Mexican national who was in the process of attaining legal status – was shot and killed during a vehicle stop in Houston, Texas, last week. And on Monday, Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero – who had a Social Security number and was legally authorized to work in the U.S. – was also fatally shot by an ICE officer in his car in Biddeford, Maine.
Rivas was on a plane on her way to Washington, D.C. when she learned of Duran Guerrero’s death. In both cases, neither was the intended target of the ICE operations that led to their deaths. Rivas believes that these and previous ICE-related fatal shootings “definitely show that there’s a pattern of ICE terrorizing our communities and committing murder without any repercussions.”
Rivas represents constituents in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, where she was raised in Pacoima by a single immigrant mother from Mexico. She said she thinks the Trump administration “is trying to meet a certain goal, unfortunately, and in recent weeks they have increased their ICE operations across the country, including in the San Fernando Valley.”
On July 8 – one day after Salgado Araujo was killed – ICE carried out an early-morning raid in the City of San Fernando, near the intersection of 1st Street and Harding Avenue. One person was detained and another was arrested. One witness described the incident as “terrifying.”
Rivas routinely hears from community members who share similar stories. In May, she participated in a roundtable event with more than 60 parents from Pacoima Charter Elementary and Vaughn schools in Pacoima, who discussed their everyday fears and lingering traumas related to past and continuing ICE activity.
She said her office is also alerted about local ICE raids and families who are directly impacted.
“We get calls from the detainees’ families for help, and that’s something my office does – we help locate the detainees,” said Rivas. “We can do wellness checks once they’re at a detention center, and we also can refer them to legal resources. So I always encourage people to call my office if they’re in that situation, if a family member or someone they know [has been] detained.”
Sen. Padilla Condemns ICE, Calls for Action to Push Back on the Trump Administration
California Sen. Alex Padilla spoke of the ICE killings in his keynote address at the 43rd National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Conference, held this year in Los Angeles.
“Millions of Latinos across the country right now are wondering if anyone, including their elected representatives, is fighting for them, for their families and friends, for people like Ruben Ray Martinez, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Silverio Viegas Gonzales and Johan Sebastian [Duran] Guerrero, [who were] all killed at the hands of Trump’s ICE,” said Padilla, who, like Rivas, also grew up in Pacoima, as the son of Mexican immigrant parents.
“Ruben was a United States citizen, and at just 23 years old, he had a whole life ahead of him,” he continued. Viegas Gonzales was a father of three and had just dropped off his sons at school when he was fatally shot last September. And the two men killed this past week – Salgado Araujo and Duran Guerrero – were both fathers who worked to provide for their families.
“We are in the fight of our lives, for our lives,” stressed Padilla. “[The] victims of ICE’s terror aren’t just our constituents; they’re our neighbors, they’re our friends, they’re our family, and these aren’t just isolated incidents; they are deliberate. They are the predictable result of an administration that has chosen to try to govern through fear and intimidation.”
Due to ICE enforcement operations, many Latinos are afraid to seek medical care, report crimes or simply “go about their daily lives,” he added. Padilla emphasized that the administration is not only targeting immigrants for deportation; they’re also attempting to diminish “Latino political power” by “manipulating congressional maps [and] attacking voting rights,” he said.
“Latino political power is MAGA’s worst nightmare; that’s why the next 112 days are so important – not just because there’s an election, but because we must decide what kind of country we will leave for our children and our grandchildren,” he said.
“Will we allow fear to divide us or will we use our power to organize and to mobilize, to defend our democracy that generations before us fought so hard to build?” continued Padilla. “This is our challenge, and it’s our responsibility to stand up and speak up and step up.”
Recent Fatal ICE Shootings
After an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Salgado Araujo, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials stated that Salgado Araujo had reportedly attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon, a claim that has been disputed by witnesses.
“After nearly 35 years of working to give us the American dream, he made the choice to begin the process of attaining his American dream through a work permit,” said Salgado Araujo’s son, Ronaldo Salgado, during a press conference last week. “We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended every appointment. He was close to obtaining his legal status.”
Duran Guerrero, a 26-year-old man from Colombia, was married and had a 3-year-old daughter. He had a work permit and worked two jobs to help support his family.
Both Colombia’s and Mexico’s Presidents Speak Out
“What has happened in Maine [to Duran Guerrero] is a murder … at the hands of the U.S. government,” wrote Colombian President Gustavo Petro in a social media post.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly condemned the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals, who died during immigration enforcement operations or while in U.S. immigration custody. The Mexican government has reportedly requested criminal investigations into all 17 deaths.
“No fellow citizen abroad should be left helpless or unprotected against potential abuses of authority, disproportionate use of force or violations of their human rights,” said Sheinbaum during a July 14 press conference.
Trump administration officials reportedly ordered ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops. A spokesperson for the office of Sen. Angus King of Maine said they were informed of the policy change by Homeland Security. But, just one day later, Trump contradicted that news. On Wednesday, the president wrote on social media that ICE should continue traffic stops. “We CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most efficient and Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!”
The recent ICE fatalities happened approximately one year after an immigration raid at Glass House Farms in Ventura County. On July 10, 2025, farmworker Jaime Alanis Garcia fell 30 feet to his death from a greenhouse roof while attempting to hide from immigration agents.
The deadly shootings have also sparked multiple protests, including in Texas, Maine and at Olvera Street in downtown LA, where dozens demonstrated against ICE on Tuesday, while chanting and holding signs reading “Jail All Killer ICE Agents” and “Justice for Lorenzo.”
Last month, Rivas introduced a bill to provide mental health services for community members negatively impacted by ICE raids. The Healing and Equity for Enforcement-Affected Residents and Trauma (HEART) Act of 2026 would create the Office of Immigrant Community Mental Health, which would be funded by redirecting the $76 billion provided to ICE via H.R. 1.
“ICE’s actions will have lasting consequences on our community’s wellbeing,” Rivas said, “which is why it is imperative that we advance and prioritize solutions that help students and their families recover long after ICE is gone.”
Those who reside in District 29 who need assistance can call Rivas’ Arleta office at (818) 253-3535.
Editor Diana Martinez contributed to this article.