by Charles Jefferson, Jr. | published on Jul 17, 2026

United Church of Christ General Minister and President/CEO, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson has issued a statement condemning the recent Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) killings of two individuals in Texas, and Maine, respectively. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of Houston was killed by ICE agents who allege he tried using his vehicle as a weapon, an allegation that has been challenged by Araujo’s family, civil rights groups, and attorneys. Araujo was transporting members of a work crew to a construction site when the incident occurred. Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old food delivery driver from Colombia, died Monday in the historic Atlantic coast city of Biddeford, where neighbors remembered him as a good man and hard worker.