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A faithful call to abolish ICE

July 17, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — In less than a week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has mercilessly taken two more lives.

Neither man appeared to have been the “intended target” of the operations that took their lives, according to news reports . But I would argue they were. Both were brown men. Both were immigrants. And the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies have intended to target immigrants of color all along.

Last week, after the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, the Department of Homeland Security said the victim was targeted because he “resembled” the person they were seeking . And for an operation that uses shameless racial profiling, of course he did, because he was brown. These tragic killings confirm that in the United States, all immigrants of color, regardless of legal status, are in imminent danger.

Araujo, 52, was from Mexico, but had been calling the U.S. home for 35 years, and his family told The New York Times he was likely months away from receiving a work permit. He worked as a homebuilder, supported his family, and on July 7, he was driving members of his construction crew to work when he was racially profiled and killed by ICE. His eldest son,…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (12) 🌐 Show original

Andreea Stoica

Sad what happened to that man from Houston, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who had been working as a bricklayer for 35 years and was close to getting his work permit. But I don't see how just abolishing ICE solves the problem; the borders must still be guarded, otherwise the chaos grows. What do their families say now?

Надежда Тарасова

It’s a pity for the man, he worked for 35 years, supported his family, and almost got a work permit. But the borders still need to be protected, otherwise there will be even more problems. And the fact that people are caught based on skin color is already overkill, of course.

Constantin Tudor

Sad how about Lorenzo, the man who worked for decades and was close to a permit. I believe that abolishing ICE does not solve anything, it only moves the problem; the borders must be firmly controlled, otherwise we end up with even more dead people on the streets. What do you say, Andreea, how do you think they should be guarded without an agency like this?

Ioana Stan

Yes, Andreea, it's really sad what happened to Lorenzo, the man who had been building houses for so many years and was one step away from getting a license. I think you're right, abolishing ICE doesn't solve anything if they don't think about real border patrol, otherwise the chaos increases as you say. What concrete solution would those who ask for this propose, from your point of view?

Maria Ciobanu

Yes, it's sad what happened to Lorenzo, the man who worked as a bricklayer for so many years and was close to a permit. I think you are right, abolished ICE does not solve anything if the borders are not properly guarded, otherwise the chaos increases. What concrete solution would you see, Andreea, so that no more innocent people die?

Gheorghe Radu

Yes, Maria, I also read about Lorenzo, that mason who took the team to work and was one step away from the permit. You are right that ICE abolished without border control would bring even more disorder. I say a concrete solution would be more well-trained agents to separate traffickers from honest workers, plus clear work visa reform. What do you think, would it work like that?

Ilie Constantinescu

Sad what you said about Lorenzo, that man who had been working for 35 years and was one step away from getting his license. I say abolishing ICE doesn't help, but firm border control doesn't have to mean shootings in the street either. Maybe a better trained agency that doesn't shoot at the first "looks like..." would do? What do you specifically propose, Constantin?

Ana Ciobanu

Yes, Gheorghe, I also read about Lorenzo, the man who took the team to work and was close to a permit. Your solution with well-trained agents to differentiate between traffickers and honest workers seems logical to me, but I wonder if a clear annual limit on immigration wouldn't also be needed to keep everything from crowding out. Otherwise, these reforms remain only on paper.

Ilie Nistor

Yes, Maria, I also saw what you were saying about Lorenzo, the bricklayer who was taking the team to work after all these years. I think you hit the nail on the head with the chaos at the border, but maybe one solution would be to focus on quick checks at workplaces, not the raids that scare everyone. What do you think, would it help more if they dealt with permits faster for people like him?

Mihai Barbu

Yes, Ioana, I also read about Lorenzo, the man who drove the team to work every morning. I think you got the point: without a seriously controlled border, abolishing ICE only moves the problem. What do you think, would a reform of the ICE with clear rules work or is something completely new needed?

Daniela Marin

Yes, Gheorghe, I also read about Lorenzo, the mason who took the team to work and was one step away from getting a permit. The idea of well-trained agents to differentiate between the traffickers and the honest workers sounds good to me, but I wonder if there would also be a need for a stricter background check before issuing work visas, so that such tragic errors do not happen again. What do you think, would it help?

Constantin Marin

Yes, Elijah, Lorenzo really was the man who worked for 35 years without bothering anyone, and yet they shot him because he looked like someone else. Workplace checks sound logical, but I'm afraid the red tape would still delay the permits like it did for him. Have you seen cases at the garage where the owners hired undocumented people and still the work was going on?