LULAC CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO DRIVING WHILE LATINO ON AMERICAS INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS
LULAC Joins Family of 38-Year-Old Daniel Barajas, Who Was Killed on the I-30 While Driving To Texas To Meet His Sisters Newborn Babies
July 18, 2023
For more information, contact David Cruz at (818) 689-9991
davidcruz@lulac.org
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Daniel Barajas, a hardworking Latino who lost his life under alarming circumstances. On January 2022, while driving to Texas on I-30, Daniel Barajas was killed outside Little Rock, Arkansas, shortly after being confronted by law enforcement officers as he slept in his car. LULAC condemns any act of injustice and demands a thorough investigation into this case to bring the truth to light.
LULAC National President, Domingo Garcia, stated, "Police officers, deputies, and state troopers should be following the law too when they do their jobs. But what happened to Daniel Barajas outside of Little Rock, Arkansas, on a dark freeway, at night, in the rain and cold, raises questions that need answers. Let me be clear to all law enforcement officers who see Latino travelers on a section of an interstate crossing their jurisdiction. We will not be your ATM, easy targets, or abuse victims."
LULAC stands firmly against discrimination and mistreatment towards Latinos, and law enforcement agencies must recognize and respect the rights and dignity of every individual they encounter. The statistics are alarming, with Latinos being 2.5 times more likely to get stopped and experiencing a 69% higher chance of being searched, having their possessions seized, false arrests, and higher incidents of injuries or death. These disparities highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reform to ensure fair treatment and protection for all individuals, regardless of ethnicity or background.
For the past 18 months, Xexilia and Raquel Barajas, the siblings of Daniel Barajas, have tirelessly sought answers regarding the circumstances surrounding their brother's untimely death. It has come to light that law enforcement officers encountered Daniel sleeping in his car along an on-ramp just minutes before his tragic death. Despite suspecting him of hallucinating and drugs, a subsequent K9 search of his vehicle revealed nothing incriminating. Nevertheless, the officers ordered Daniel not to drive due to his alleged mental condition but abandoned him on the interstate. Astonishingly, Daniel's keys, phone, wallet, and a money box he carried were never found. Eleven minutes later, he was fatally struck by two cars and an 18-wheeler. No body cam video or incident scene photos have been released, and significant evidence from the coroner's report has mysteriously gone missing.
Even more distressing, law enforcement officers from states located hundreds of miles away immediately contacted Barajas' family members at their homes following his death, inquiring about alleged drug activity. Once again, these investigations yielded no evidence of any illicit involvement. Such actions raise serious concerns about the integrity and impartiality of Daniel Barajas' death investigation.
"LULAC is here to issue a warning loud and clear," says Garcia. "Watch out if you are an officer stopping, searching, arresting, or harming a Latino on an interstate freeway. We demand that existing statutes be used to investigate and prosecute you to the fullest extent of FEDERAL civil rights laws! This is a promise."
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