Amid anger over ICE shootings, Tucsonans call to abolish agency

Around 100 people protested the killings of two men by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in just a week, holding signs and demanding action in front of the federal building in Downtown Tucson.

On July 7, ICE agents shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, claiming he “rammed” an ICE vehicle. Six days later, an ICE agent shot and killed 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Federal officials claimed the agent fired his weapon “fearing for public safety” because Guerrero “attempted to flee the scene.”

Another man died on Monday after he was struck by a semi-truck while fleeing ICE agents in Jacksonville, Fla., USA Today reported.

After the two deadly shootings, ICE was ordered to pause vehicle stops, however, President Donald Trump urged them to continue Tuesday.

The Tucson Federal Building at 300 W. Congress St. has been the focus on protests over Trump administration actions, including in January, when a “general strike” brought out more than 6,000 people to Downtown to protest against ICE.

Protesters have also used the brick inlaid courtyard to advocate for immigrants who could be deported, including Karla Toledo, a Tucson woman who faces removal after ICE agents barged into her home in May.

The immigration agency has struggled with its reputation in the years since its creation

in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but over the past 18 months,
Americans have soured on ICE as agents have violated the
constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike — often
violently.

ICE agents have shot and killed 10 people since January
2025, including two in July. And U.S. Border Patrol agents, operating
in conjunction with ICE agents, killed another man.

Another half-dozen people were shot and wounded this year.

Earlier this year, ICE agents killed 37-year-old Renée Good in similar circumstances, and U.S. Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, both in Minneapolis, Minn.

Backlash over the violent incidents forced the Trump administration to backpedal, and included the sacking of Greg
Bovino, a Border Patrol chief who became “commander at large” of the
immigration crackdowns in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and
Minneapolis.

The backlash also may have contributed to the sacking of Homeland
Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was replaced by former U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullins of Oklahoma.

Mullins, along with strident former Obama-era cop Tom Homan promised a quieter effort, but they have also demanded ICE agents arrest 2,000 per day.

Tuesday night, the Tucson group later marched through Downtown to the El Tiradito Wishing Shrine at 420 S. Main Ave., where they held a candlelight vigil for those harmed by the agency’s actions.

Toledo read a statement to the crowd arguing ICE should be abolished.

“No one deserves to die because of their immigration status, and I say this again: no one deserves to die because of their immigration status,” Toledo said.

“Lorenzo was a human being. John Sebastian was a human being. We say their names because they mattered,” she said. “People often ask about ICE reform, but after witnessing so much pain, it’s not enough. It needs to be abolished. We need to envision a future where our communities are protected without fear of an agency that causes so much harm.”

She said people had the right to be angry. “But let our anger be purposeful. Let it push us to organize.”