immigration civic community scene — Photo by Germar Derron via Pexels
Fresno Protesters Demand Accountability After ICE Shootings Kill Three in Two Weeks
Fresno joined nationwide protests this week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed three people in two weeks during enforcement operations. Protesters in downtown Fresno Thursday night called the shootings a civil-rights crisis and demanded ICE accountability.
The deaths: ICE shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on July 7. Agents shot 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine on July 13. On Wednesday, ICE Agent Jonathan Ross shot 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis. Video of Good’s death circulated widely online.
About 150 people marched from Eaton Plaza to City Hall Thursday night. A second rally in late July drew similar numbers. Both were organized by local groups including Peace Fresno, Central Valley Community Action, and the May 1st Coalition.
“Immigration enforcement should never result in the loss of life,” said Leonel Flores Bustamante with the May 1st Coalition. “Families should not have to fear that a loved one will not return home because of an immigration enforcement operation, much less due to loss of life.”
ICE says Salgado Araujo tried to run over an agent during a “targeted enforcement operation.” Days after the shooting, ICE said it suspected a plastic bag with white substance in the van was an illicit drug. Salgado Araujo’s family says it was salt used to hydrate workers from the heat.
Vice President JD Vance defended the Minneapolis shooting. “She was trying to ram this guy with her car. He shot back, he defended himself,” Vance said of Good’s death.
Dan Yaseen, president of Peace Fresno, watched the Minneapolis video multiple times. “She was not posing any threat to anybody. She was trying to get away, but they just shot her in the head,” Yaseen said.
Eleven people have been fatally shot by ICE agents during enforcement operations since Trump took office. At least 22 people have died in ICE custody this year, following a record 33 in 2025.
The League of United Latin American Citizens is circulating a petition demanding an independent investigation of Salgado Araujo’s shooting. It has more than 173,000 signatures. “This is not the first time ICE has justified a shooting by claiming someone tried to run over officers, only for later evidence to prove that to be untrue,” LULAC said.
Madera teacher Juan Avitia says students are staying home. “They don’t show up because of that rumor that the migra might show up or that ICE is out there. It sets back their education.”
Protesters Thursday also called on Fresno city leaders to end cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Breakdown
- Three people killed by ICE agents in two weeks: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo (52) in Houston on July 7, Joan Sebastian Guerrero (26) in Maine on July 13, Renee Good (37) in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
- ICE claims Salgado Araujo and Good tried to hit agents with vehicles. Families and witnesses dispute both accounts.
- Nationwide pattern: 11 people fatally shot by ICE during enforcement operations since Trump took office; at least 22 died in ICE custody this year.
- LULAC petition with 173,000 signatures demands independent investigation of Salgado Araujo’s death.
- Fresno protesters demand ICE accountability and want city to end cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
What This Means for You
The May 1st Coalition is calling on Fresno city leaders to end cooperation with ICE — meaning whether Fresno helps with federal immigration enforcement or declines to is now a live local question. How your council answers it tells you what they think their job is.
Fresno is in a region where agriculture depends heavily on undocumented labor. The enforcement climate is already keeping students out of school, per a Madera teacher quoted in the material.
What You Can Do
The May 1st Coalition is supporting LULAC’s petition for an independent investigation of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death. You can find and sign it by searching for LULAC and Salgado Araujo online.
If you want Fresno to stop cooperating with ICE, the people to tell are your City Council members. The material doesn’t state a specific upcoming council meeting on this, but council contact information is public — call or email your district representative and say whether you want the city helping with federal immigration enforcement or not.
What to Watch
The official story keeps changing after the fact. ICE said Salgado Araujo tried to run over an agent, then days later announced it found suspected drugs in his van — which his family says was salt for workers in the heat. The Vice President says Renee Good was ramming an agent with her car; witnesses say she was trying to get away when she was shot in the head. LULAC says this pattern — ICE justifying a shooting with a claim that later evidence contradicts — has happened before.
Eleven fatal shootings since Trump took office is already a pattern. At least 22 in-custody deaths this year is a record pace. If those numbers keep climbing and nothing changes about how ICE operates or who oversees it, that tells you the deaths aren’t bugs in the system — they’re how the system is currently designed to run.
