Fresno Rallies Against ICE Killings, Demands Federal Accountability

Fresno protesters joined a nationwide rally July 25 demanding accountability after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people earlier this month. At least 11 people have been fatally shot by ICE agents during enforcement operations since Trump took office. Twenty-two people have died in ICE custody this year alone.

The May 1st Coalition organized the rally at Eaton Plaza following the July 7 shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and the July 13 shooting death of Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, in Maine. Both were killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

ICE said agents shot Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old business owner, when he attempted to run over an agent during a “targeted enforcement operation.” Days later ICE said it suspected a plastic bag with white substance in the van was an illicit drug. Salgado Araujo’s family said it was salt used to hydrate workers from the heat.

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“This worries us … because not only in Houston, but in other places, ICE can invent any reason or plant or invent evidence to protect the shooting deaths they commit,” said Leonel Flores Bustamante with the May 1st Coalition.

The rally featured wooden crosses with names of people who died at the hands of ICE agents. Participants laid down next to the crosses for about a minute. “We were able to get back up, but those individuals were not,” said Flores Bustamante.

Organizers called on Fresno city leaders to end cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The coalition is supporting a League of United Latin American Citizens petition calling for an independent investigation of the Salgado Araujo 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 in a statement.

Madera teacher Juan Avitia said he’s seeing fewer students show up in his classroom. “They don’t show up because of that rumor that the migra might show up or that ICE is out there,” said Avitia. “It sets back their education.”

The Breakdown

• Two people shot and killed by ICE agents in July: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston (July 7) and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine (July 13)
• 11 people fatally shot by ICE agents during enforcement operations since Trump took office; 22 people have died in ICE custody this year, following 33 deaths in 2025
• Protesters are demanding independent investigation and an end to Fresno’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities
• Over 173,000 people have signed a LULAC petition calling for transparent investigation of the Salgado Araujo shooting

What This Means for You

Agriculture in the San Joaquín Valley depends heavily on undocumented labor. Madera teacher Juan Avitia reported seeing fewer students in his classroom, with students staying home because of rumors that ICE might show up. The call to end Fresno’s cooperation with ICE is a question for your city council.

What You Can Do

The LULAC petition calling for independent investigation of the Salgado Araujo shooting is still collecting signatures. The May 1st Coalition helped organize the July 25 rally and is continuing to push for an end to Fresno’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities — contact Fresno City Council members to make your position known on that question.

What to Watch

The claim that ICE has “justified a shooting by claiming someone tried to run over officers, only for later evidence to prove that to be untrue” — as LULAC stated — is the pattern organizers are naming as the reason independent investigation matters. Whether any such investigation actually happens, and what it finds if it does, will tell you whether federal accountability for these deaths is real or rhetorical.

The other thing to watch is whether Fresno city leaders respond to the call to end cooperation with ICE. If the council takes it up, you’ll see exactly where each member stands on the question.