In wake of national ICE traffic stop deaths, Santa Cruzans gather in grief and protest on Ocean Street

Shasta Greene has been with Indivisible Santa Cruz County only since late 2025, yet she has already helped plan multiple local vigils for people killed around the country by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. So many, in fact, that she has a bag full of candles and black armbands to symbolize mourning that she keeps prepped and ready in her house.

Indivisible held its most recent vigil Monday evening on the corner of Ocean and Water streets in Santa Cruz, for two men who were fatally shot by ICE agents during separate traffic stops over the past week. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was killed on July 7 in Houston while on his way to work, and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, was killed Monday morning in Biddeford, Maine. Greene helped organize the vigil and “ICE out!” protest with her friend Kelly Menehan, who has been with Indivisible, a grassroots organization committed to resisting authoritarian agendas, since 2017. 

Over 70 people showed up to honor the two men, holding up signs condemning ICE and remembering those who have died at the hands of immigration enforcement this past year. Durán Guerrero had a partner and was a father to a 3-year-old girl. Originally from Colombia, he had a Social Security number and was authorized to work in the United States, where he was a cleaner and a food delivery driver for local restaurants in Biddeford.

Araujo was also a husband, a father of three and a business owner who had been in the county for over three decades. Originally from Mexico, he had been trying to obtain legal residency and was most likely months away from getting his work permit, his family said. 

“He raised three American sons, he never had any trouble with the law. On some level, it was a senseless killing, and on some other level it’s part of a grand scheme of attacking people who have come to this county,” Greene said.

There were two separate memorials set up in front of the former Ocean Street Starbucks, one for each of the men killed. Araujo’s had a large printed-out poster of his face alongside his name, whereas Durán Guerrero’s was handmade with red and blue marker because he had been killed only hours before the tribute event. Both were accompanied by candles, flowers and hand-drawn chalk messages.

Although Araujo and Durán Guerrero were killed six days apart and 2,000 miles away from each other, the events leading to their deaths were shockingly similar. ICE officials were not wearing body cameras during either of the incidents, and both involved moving vehicles that were pulled over by unmarked cars operated by ICE agents for traffic stops. According to news reports, neither man was the target of a warrant.

Their deaths increased the number of people killed by ICE during President Donald Trump’s second term to at least nine, although the actual number is estimated to be higher. Their deaths came after ICE arrested 10,000 people over a five-day period at the end of June, marking a surge in the administration’s deportation push.

“It’s feeling to me like a flashback to January,” Menehan said, referencing Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. During that 2½-month immigration crackdown, U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good were killed by ICE agents, and a Venezuelan man was shot in the leg near his home.

Anita S., a 74-year-old Live Oak resident who attended the protest, disagreed, saying the jarring violence didn’t go away after Operation Metro Surge ended. She wanted to be identified by only her first name for fear of retaliation because she is involved in ICE patrols in Santa Cruz. 

These back-to-back killings were terrible, she continued, but they were also indicative of the continued pattern of violence from immigration officials. She gestured to her sign, which had around 35 names of people killed by ICE or who have died inside ICE detention facilities over the past year and a half.

“I’m pretty involved in the ICE patrols, keeping watch out for ICE. So, I’m kind of keyed into just the constant violence going on,” she said. “It’s like it’s their own private army. They don’t have cameras, they wear masks. This is frightening to me.”

The vigil was not only a space to honor men who died, but also for its attendees to have some peace, take comfort and get support if they were afraid. Santa Cruz resident Dice Johnson, 27, and Felton resident Mimi Igno, 26, showed up to be in community and share in their grief. 

“We came out today to protest ICE’s violent terrorism that they’ve been enacting across the country, and more and more people keep dying,” Johnson said through tears. “It’s just really heartbreaking, and so we wanted to come out and show love for the people who have passed on, give candles and say their name.”

Igno nodded in agreement, also wiping tears from her eyes. She said being in these spaces is inspiring because she sees people’s resilience and strength to keep fighting.

“It can feel really frustrating and isolating to be at home on your phone, trying to process all of this awful news and these murders,” Igno said. “Being in these spaces and seeing the power of collective action, that’s what gives me hope.”

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