Statement from JACL Condemning the Excessive Use of Force by ICE Resulting in the Deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero

July 22, 2026

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

Lilly Simmering, Executive Director, lsimmering@jacl.org

Matthew Weisbly, JACL National Education Programs Manager - LA Office, mweisbly@jacl.org

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) condemns the repeated use of deadly force by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Shortly after the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence, Mr. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Mr. Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero had their lives violently taken in avoidable encounters with undisciplined and poorly trained federal agents. They are the latest victims in an alarming trend.

"The Japanese American community knows too well what it feels like to be held at gunpoint and have its loyalty questioned. That conduct was unacceptable during World War II, and it is unacceptable now," said Larry Oda, National President of JACL. "The use of militarized tactics in American neighborhoods reflects a troubling escalation in the use of force by the Department of Homeland Security, an agency established during the country’s recovery from 9/11 to protect the American people. As the nation's oldest and largest Asian American and Pacific Islander civil rights organization, JACL stands in solidarity with our sister civil and human rights organizations and communities of Color in condemning the recent actions of ICE in Houston, Texas and Biddeford, Maine."

Araujo and Guerrero join a growing list of civilians who have died during encounters with ICE agents, in addition to the more than 50 individuals who have died in ICE custody in the past year.

"Following the deaths of Ms. Renée Good and Mr. Alex Pretti, and the demonstrations across the country condemning ICE's actions, we had hoped that Congress would hold ICE accountable and put an end to the aggressive and violent siege of our communities," said Dr. Vinicius Taguchi, President of the Twin Cities JACL Chapter. "Instead, these incidents have become all too normal. We cannot continue accepting this abuse of our safety and liberty."

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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.