Five key takeaways from Houston’s hearing on the ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

This press release from Representative Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) was published on 2026-07-24 and titled "Five key takeaways from Houston’s hearing on the ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo".

Five key takeaways from Houston’s hearing on the ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Democratic members of Houston’s Congressional delegation called for a major overhaul of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics and cautioned that immigrants are being “hunted down” during an oversight forum Friday. The panel was spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, in the aftermath of the July 7 fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant and small business owner from Houston’s East End. Garcia was joined by Houston Democrats Lizzie Fletcher, Al Green and Christian Menefee; U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio; U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-NY, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, among others. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's two adult sons, Ronaldo Salgado and Lorenzo Salgado Jr., implored lawmakers to keep the pressure on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to amend its immigration-enforcement policies during President Donald Trump's unprecedented national crackdown. Though ICE officials were not present, they posted a thread of recent arrests during the hearing: “Despite coordinated attacks by local officials the media attempting to undermine ICE's mission, we continue to work tirelessly to defend public safety national security by removing gang members and other violent criminal illegal aliens from the local community.” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare fielded most questions from lawmakers, who pressed him for details on his office’s independent investigation into the shooting. Federal officials boxing out local investigators Garcia and Espaillat told the panel that officials from the FBI, DHS and ICE were asked to attend the forum and declined. The lawmakers said those refusals added to the shroud of secrecy federal investigators are operating under as they decline to cooperate with local officials on several levels. “We're here to support the family and to listen to the community,” Espaillat said. “Our federal authorities have refused to come forward, and so we are here to hold them accountable.” Garcia said House Democrats have sent six letters to ICE and DHS officials seeking details about the investigation, and all have gone unanswered. “One letter is asking for parole for a victim, and one letter is requesting all of the evidentiary materials to be given to the local partners so that we know what is going on,” she said. “And I have been told by the Director of Homeland Security that they don't intend to give us any answers until their investigation is complete. So that's why hearings like these matter.” Garcia later pressed Teare on what new information his office had gleaned, but the district attorney gave limited answers, citing his intent to preserve the integrity of the investigation. “I can't provide information about potential charges or potential targets,” he said. “And I'm not going to speculate on the timeline for our investigation.” Teare criticized the continued detention of three witnesses to the July 7 shooting — Salgado's brother and two workers who rode in the van. "They're the only witnesses we have," Teare said. Already, Teare's investigators have interviewed one of the work van's occupants. He cautioned that further interviews are not conducive to privacy amid a guarded investigation. The witnesses may not speak freely while in immigration detention as the rooms are not intended for privileged conversations with lawyers — unlike at the Harris County Jail, which has rooms for defendants to speak with their attorneys without being recorded by authorities. "We don't know who's listening when they give witness statements," Teare testified. Teare told lawmakers that he has repeatedly reached out to the DHS to no avail. "We haven't gotten a response to anything," Teare said. In response to a question from Garcia, Teare said DHS had not revealed to his office the identity of the ICE agent responsible for fatally shooting Salgado. He later declined to say whether he personally knew the agent's identity, when pressed by a reporter after the forum. He also said he doesn't know whether the agent is still working or on administrative leave. "They haven't told us anything," Teare said, adding "we've been able to identify some pieces of evidence without the official notification." Teare commented later on how ICE’s tactics are eroding trust in the community and his concerns about an unsealed search warrant the FBI issued to inspect Salgado’s van. ICE tactics eroding trust in law enforcement Aside from the Salgado case, Teare said ICE’s street tactics are hindering his office’s ability to investigate major crimes in Harris County. “Those of us in law enforcement don't take issue with deporting violent felons. However, here in Harris County, there are crimes and cases my office has not been able to prosecute because witnesses are scared of immigration consequences,” he said. Teare added that a witness in an u