OKLAHOMA CITY – Mourners, activists, and at least one elected official joined a small vigil in Scissortail Park Thursday evening to condemn the death of Houston, Texas resident Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tuesday.
Salgado Araujo, an undocumented Mexican national that had lived and worked in Houston for more than three decades, was shot and killed by ICE agents Tuesday morning following what appeared to be a high-speed chase on city streets. Federal representatives have claimed that Salgado Araujo attempted to weaponize his vehicle against the agents – a claim the agency has made following previous ICE killings – but have yet to provide clear evidence as the status of a wider investigation into the killing remains uncertain.
It’s the first high-profile ICE killing since the leadership and public image of the agency have become dominated by Oklahomans, with former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin now sworn in as Homeland Security Secretary, overseeing Immigration and Customs operations, and former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Shroyer nominated by President Trump for the role of ICE Director.
With Oklahoma in the national spotlight, OKC residents took to Scissortail Park Thursday to voice anger and resolve against yet another killing.
“Oklahoma, we are here tonight to honor the dead,” said activist and 2024 OK State House candidate Nicole Maldonado to the vigil’s modest crowd, “and tomorrow, we honor his memory by fighting like hell for the living.”
Lower turnout compared to recent protests
While community protest events following the ICE killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti earlier this year saw, at times, hundreds show up to Scissortail Park, Thursday’s vigil for Salgado Araujo – organized by the OKC-based Community Response Network (CRN) – saw only a few dozen.
Organizers speculated that the short notice of the event, as well as the nearly 100-degree evening heat, may have kept the numbers down.
“I do think it was a good turnout,” said CRN’s Fernando Baquera. “I think I was expecting to see more allies here tonight, but it was really late-notice. People have lives, you know, and people are tired.”
Oklahomans at the helm of DHS and ICE
As the new head of Homeland Security, Mullin was reportedly tasked with lowering the profile of ICE by preventing the agency killings that have led to international uproar and unprecedented public pushback, saying during his confirmation hearings in March that he wanted to keep the department out of the headlines.
With the killing of Salgado Araujo, not only is that widespread scrutiny and distrust for the agency back in headlines nationwide, but so is Oklahoma, with Mullin’s handpicked choice for ICE Director, former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Shroyer, securing an official nomination from Trump late last month.
Shroyer has been credited with helping to spearhead and organize Oklahoma’s partnership between Oklahoma Highway Patrol and ICE that has resulted in state police carrying out immigration enforcement statewide.
Those developments have given Oklahoman activists pause as they worry about the state’s perception on the national stage.
“It should really raise some red flags for our allies,” Baquera told Free Press. “We can’t get too comfortable in Oklahoma, because they’re going to use our state as an example.”
It’s a concern shared by Oklahoma State Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt (D-District 30), who was on hand at the vigil Thursday, and who expressed worry about Oklahoman officials using ICE and DHS as a launch pad for national politics even as agents have killed multiple people and detained thousands more just this year.
“They’re just advancing their careers,” Kirt said, “and they don’t care who they hurt as they go, clearly.”
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
