US: At least 9 deaths in immigration operations since Trump's return

World Desk · 14 July 2026 at 01:55 · 30s summary · 5 min read

What we know

At least nine people have died during immigration enforcement operations conducted by US authorities since Donald Trump returned to power, according to Al Jazeera. These deaths occurred in shootings involving federal agents, highway collisions, and a fatal fall during a raid.

The most recent documented incident occurred on July 13, 2026, in Biddeford, Maine. An immigration agent shot and killed a motorist. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) version, reported by Senator Angus King following a communication from Secretary Markwayne Mullin, states that the driver had weaponized his vehicle against agents.

Eyewitnesses describe instead a car moving slowly in circles, showing no apparent intent to strike anyone. The FBI is leading the investigation; Maine State Police are assisting the state attorney general's office, the chief medical examiner, and federal authorities.

Houston, July 7, 2026: A death with disputed circumstances

On July 7, 2026, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national described by his family as in the process of regularizing his immigration status, was shot by an immigration agent during an operation in Houston, Texas. He died en route to the hospital.

The circumstances are disputed. DHS contends that Salgado Araujo, in undocumented status, ignored orders and attempted to hit an agent with his vehicle, warranting self-defense action. His son told Telemundo Houston that his father was looking for construction workers to hire at the time of the incident.

Following this death, Mexico announced its intention to request that the US government open criminal investigations into the deaths of its citizens during immigration operations. Immigration advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers have also called for an independent investigation.

Precedents since the start of the Trump administration

On January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, Alex Pretti was shot by a Border Patrol agent during a protest. An intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a 37-year-old US citizen, he was protesting Operation Metro Surge—an operation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency under DHS, launched in December 2025 and described by DHS as 'the largest immigration enforcement operation ever conducted.' His family stated he was participating to oppose the Trump administration's immigration policy.

In March 2025, Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was shot by a federal agent during a nighttime traffic stop at South Padre Island, Texas, as part of an immigration operation. He died at the hospital.

Documents related to this shooting were not made public for nearly a year. A lawsuit filed by the watchdog organization American Oversight under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)—a 1966 US law that requires federal agencies to disclose documents to anyone who requests them—forced their release.

Ruben Ray Martinez's mother stated that Texas Rangers investigators told her the incident video contradicted the federal account, which claimed her son had 'intentionally run over' an agent. Authorities refused to publicly comment on these discrepancies.