Mamdani calls for abolishment of ICE after fatal shooting in Texas

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has again called for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the death of a man in Houston.

An ICE agent opened fire during a traffic stop in Texas, officials say, fatally injuring Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old man from Mexico.

According to reporting by the New York Times, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that Salgado Araujo was not the intended target. Officials allege that he was trying to hit an agent with his car, a claim now being investigated.

The incident has drawn backlash from politicians across the country as President Donald Trump continues his immigration enforcement crackdown, a key campaign promise of his.

Mamdani, who has called for the abolishment of ICE before, wrote on X that the city stands by Salgado Araujo's family.

"Lorenzo Salgado Araujo called Houston home for 35 years. On Tuesday, an ICE agent shot and killed him. His family learned of his death from a video before anyone bothered to knock on their door," Mamdani said.

"New York City stands with the Salgado family in demanding a full, independent investigation and real accountability. To the Salgado family and any immigrant family in this city living in fear: we grieve with you and we will continue to stand beside you in the pursuit of justice," the mayor wrote.

He finished the tweet with a simple message: "Abolish ICE."

In the past, Mamdani has said that city agencies would follow sanctuary city guidelines by not assisting ICE in most cases.

"Our city does not simply oppose the actions of ICE, but that we are not going to be complicit with those actions either," Mamdani said in June.

"And that means making sure that every single city agency is in compliance with our sanctuary city policies... It means that we do not allow ICE agents into our schools, our hospitals, our city property unless they can provide a judicial warrant signed by a judge."

During a TV appearance in June, Mamdani again called for the abolishment of ICE.

"I have put forward a vision alongside so many others to say that ICE should be abolished, that there is no way to reform this kind of cruelty that we're seeing endemic in the way that immigration is being enforced across the country," he said on MS NOW.

Last month, Tom Homan, the Trump administration's border czar, said that a sweep was planned for New York City, without specifying details.

"You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen in New York City, and it’s coming," he said on Fox News. "I just reviewed an operation plan, I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming.”

Amethyst Martinez is a New York City-based journalist covering politics, life, culture and trends in the city for USA TODAY.