Mesa Residents Rally for ICE Accountability After Fatal Encounters

On a sweltering July morning – the thermometer hit 105 °F by 9:30 a.m. – about a dozen people gathered at the intersection of Dobson Road and Southern Avenue in Mesa. They weren’t there for a barbecue; they were there to demand accountability after three men lost their lives in encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

One of the most noticeable faces in the crowd was 69‑year‑old Lauren Machen, a retired nurse who had driven up from Payson with a handwritten sign listing the names of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, and Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán. Beside the names, the sign read, “Wake up America.” Machen explained that she carried the names thinking of the future – the rights and freedoms she hopes her two children and four grandchildren will inherit.

The three deaths, all occurring within a two‑week span, have become a flashpoint for a nationwide day of action. Salgado Araujo was fatally shot in Houston on July 7, while Durán Guerrero died in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13 under similar circumstances. The third name, Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, is a bit different: he wasn’t shot by an officer, but after fleeing ICE agents at a gas station in St. Augustine, Florida, he was struck by a tractor‑trailer on July 14.

“They don’t have a voice anymore,” Machen said, her voice soft but firm. “Protesting is the only way we can make sure their deaths are not ignored.” She added that the issue reaches far beyond these three tragedies. A Hispanic friend she’s known for 65 years now carries her passport everywhere, terrified that a random checkpoint could end her day.

Another voice in the crowd was James Toner, a 66‑year‑old retired cable technician who grew up in Tempe and now lives in Mesa. He described his participation as an extension of the “help‑your‑neighbor” ethic he’s practiced his whole life. “I’ve always been the guy who helps people up and down my street,” he told reporters. “I just want ICE to treat people more humanely – to follow the warrant, take them to court, not just grab them off the street and throw them into a country where they can’t speak the language.”

Mesa Indivisible, the group that organized the demonstration, called for several concrete actions: a full, independent investigation into the two shootings, an immediate halt to all deportation operations, and the eventual shutdown of the federal immigration processing center located near Phoenix‑Mesa Gateway Airport.

The protest was part of a larger, coordinated effort happening across the country, each rally echoing the same demands for transparency, oversight, and, ultimately, a shift in how immigration enforcement is carried out.

While the crowd was small, the message was clear: families are grieving, communities are scared, and many citizens feel that the current system leaves little room for compassion. As the heat lingered, so did the resolve of those gathered, each person hoping their voices would reach the halls of power before another life is lost.