America’s Death Squads: Federal Killings and a Hard-Line Drug Agenda

In the past week, federal agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastián Guerrero on public streets. Both men were unarmed; Araujo was in the country illegally, while Guerrero was legally present. The article describes the incidents as “public executions” and frames them as part of a targeted campaign against presumed immigrants.

The Bulwark

The author argues that these killings differ from ordinary police brutality, labeling the agents as “American death squads” and likening the practice to Jim Crow-era violence. The piece suggests that the federal government is conducting a systematic, lethal approach toward people assumed to be immigrants, rather than isolated incidents.

The Bulwark

The commentary connects the killings to a broader political agenda. It references a politician who rose to power by portraying drugs as a national scourge and who, according to the article, told voters, “I would be happy to slaughter them.” The same politician is said to have advocated “unshackling the police and turning them loose on the streets” while also encouraging civilian militias to intervene in drug-related crime.

The Bulwark

“I would be happy to slaughter them.” — the politician, speaking to voters

The Bulwark

The article presents an opinionated interpretation that federal lethal force is part of an intentional, policy-driven campaign against immigrants, tied to a hard-line stance on drugs and expanded law-enforcement powers. No official government statements or independent investigations are cited; the piece relies on the author’s framing rather than corroborated evidence.

The Bulwark