Three days after federal immigration agents fatally shot a man during a traffic stop in Houston, most of Texas’ Republican leaders had yet to weigh in on the incident or respond to calls from Democrats and civil rights advocates for an independent investigation.
As public outcry has rippled across the internet and the streets of Houston, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and most of the state’s GOP congressional delegation have kept mum about the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who had lived in the country for decades. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot him to death earlier this week when authorities tried to stop his van during an operation.
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Details about the shooting have been fluid and little video evidence has emerged, even as the government’s account is called into question by witnesses. An ICE spokesperson said agents, who did not have body-worn or dashboard cameras, opened fire Tuesday morning because Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense.”
However, three men who were in the van with Salgado Araujo disputed ICE’s version of events; one noted there were no law enforcement officers in front or behind the vehicle — only to the side. The witnesses, who are now in immigration custody, said Salgado Araujo never rammed ICE’s vehicles with his van, according to written accounts relayed by their lawyer.
Additionally, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said she was informed by ICE’s acting director that Salgado Araujo was not the target of the operation.
At a press conference Friday, Garcia and other Houston Democrats renewed their criticisms of ICE and their demands for an investigation conducted outside the agency. They also called for ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, to release evidence supporting their claims.
Garcia, who represents the neighborhood where the shooting occurred, said she had not heard from Abbott nor any of her congressional Republican colleagues.
The governor’s office declined to respond Friday when asked about Garcia’s comments. A spokesperson referred the Tribune to the Texas Department of Public Safety for “information on how Rangers investigations start.”
Garcia said the differing accounts between ICE and witnesses, as well as DHS’ original reference to the incident as a targeted enforcement operation without mentioning Salgado Araujo was not the target, underscores the need for an outside probe.
“That’s why we need a complete, thorough investigation, and a fact-finding from top to bottom — and we have to make sure that it does include our local partners,” Garcia said, alluding to calls for Houston police and DPS to step in. “ICE cannot be doing this [investigation] alone, because otherwise, we’ll end up just like in the [Renee] Good case — nothing.”
Sen. John Cornyn did not respond to an inquiry about whether he believes there should be an investigation independent from the one being overseen by DHS’ Office of the Inspector General. In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Sen. Ted Cruz expressed trust in the government’s probe.
“This is an active investigation, and I have full confidence that, once it is complete, we will have a full and accurate account of what occurred,” Cruz said.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, also had not said anything about the shooting as of Friday afternoon. Nor had U.S. Reps. Morgan Luttrell, Michael McCaul and August Pfluger, the three Texas Republicans who sit on the House Homeland Security Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over ICE.
Spokespersons for Luttrell, McCaul and Pfluger, along with the Texas House speaker and lieutenant governor, did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.
The shooting occurred in Houston’s Magnolia Park neighborhood, a heavily Hispanic area near the Houston Ship Channel in the city’s East End. But the area was moved out of Garcia’s district when Republicans redrew Texas’ congressional map last summer, putting it in the 9th Congressional District. GOP nominee Alex Mealer is the favorite to win the Republican-leaning seat in November.
Responding Tuesday night to DHS’ post on X detailing the agency’s claim that the ICE officer acted in self-defense, Mealer expressed her belief that the feds would get to the bottom of the matter.
“Today is yet another reminder of the dangers law enforcement face everyday as they protect our safety,” Mealer wrote on X. “I have full confidence in law enforcement’s ability to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure justice is served.”
Mealer has not made any public statements about the shooting since Tuesday, and her campaign did not immediately respond Friday to questions about whether she supported an independent investigation or believes ICE should release evidence.
In January, after ICE agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, also sparking widespread outrage, the Republican committee chairs of the House and Senate’s homeland security committees both scheduled oversight hearings and requested testimony from immigration enforcement agency leaders.
Those testimony requests were sent to ICE and other agencies three weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, and the hearings were ultimately held in February, giving lawmakers an opportunity to press then-ICE acting director Todd Lyons and other Trump administration personnel.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, the New York Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said his panel is monitoring the investigations into the shooting. He did not say if he would hold an oversight hearing or call authorities to testify.
“The Committee remains in contact with ICE and DHS regarding the shooting in Houston, and we will continue to monitor the investigations as they develop,” Garbarino said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “My top priority as Chairman is ensuring the safety of the public and of the law enforcement officers who are charged with upholding it.”
The committee office for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky and chair of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, did not immediately respond to an inquiry about his plans.
In the wake of the late January ICE shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the second that month and a case in which there was ample video evidence captured by bystanders, a handful of Texas Republicans did discuss the incident. Cruz and McCaul both called for an investigation shortly after Pretti’s killing.
Abbott, meanwhile, said the federal government should “recalibrate” its approach to its massive deportation operation.
“In general, we need to have respect for law enforcement officers in the country,” Abbott said, appearing on conservative radio host Mark Davis’ show in January. “ICE, they are law enforcement officers. And so they, being the White House, need to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that respect is going to be re-instilled.”
Samanta Habashy contributed to this report.