HOUSTON — U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, attorney Hugo Baldera-Ybarra and U.S. Rep. Al Green on Friday called for transparency, accountability and an independent investigation into the fatal ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, outlining new information they say was provided by federal officials and witnesses.
Garcia said she spoke Thursday with Acting ICE Director David Venturella after attempting to reach him throughout the week. According to Garcia, Venturella confirmed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not the target of the operation, nor was his brother, who was also inside the van. She said the agency was attempting to locate a person with a final order of removal under an administrative warrant and believed that individual was inside the vehicle. Garcia said the acting director declined to identify which passenger agents were seeking.
Garcia said Venturella also confirmed that none of the ICE agents involved were wearing body cameras and that none of the vehicles had dashboard cameras that captured the shooting. She questioned the agency’s use of unmarked vehicles, saying members of the public may not realize they are being followed by law enforcement.
“I know that if I’m followed by a black SUV and I don’t know who it is, I too would be scared,” Garcia said.
Garcia said she raised concerns that the three passengers detained after the shooting could be moved or deported before investigators are able to interview them. She said Venturella assured her the detainees would remain at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe and that she would be allowed to visit them if she chooses. Garcia also said the acting director agreed to apologize to the family if ICE determines an error was made in publicly releasing Salgado Araujo’s name before notifying relatives.
According to Garcia, Venturella did not commit to an independent investigation or provide a timeline for ongoing federal investigations. She also said he declined to answer questions submitted in a congressional oversight letter until those investigations are complete.
Garcia said Venturella committed to ensuring all ICE officers in the field have body cameras by the end of the month after she criticized the agency for not deploying equipment despite prior federal funding and public commitments.
Attorney Hugo Baldera-Ybarra, who represents two of the three detained passengers, said he met with his clients Thursday. He described them as emotionally and physically traumatized by the shooting and called for their immediate release, arguing they are critical witnesses whose testimony should be preserved.
Baldera-Ybarra said his clients’ accounts differ significantly from ICE’s public statements. He said they told him no ICE agent was ever standing directly in front of the van and that the gunfire came from the sides of the vehicle. He also called for an independent investigation and alleged ICE has a pattern of pressuring detainees to sign voluntary departure paperwork before they are able to fully exercise their legal rights.
Teare said his office immediately began its own investigation after the shooting, despite not being invited to participate in the federal investigation at the scene.
“We investigate every officer-involved shooting in Harris County,” Teare said.
Teare said investigators have collected surveillance video, interviewed witnesses, mapped the area using drones and digital technology, and are working with the Houston Police Department and the FBI. He urged anyone with photos, video or information about the shooting to contact his office, saying even seemingly minor evidence could prove critical.
Teare also said his office is prepared to pursue legal action if necessary to obtain evidence from federal authorities.
Green announced he has secured support from Ranking Member Bennie Thompson to pursue oversight through the House Homeland Security Committee. Green said if Congress does not receive the information it seeks, lawmakers plan to hold what he described as a “shadow hearing” in Houston.
Green said members of the committee are demanding records from the Department of Homeland Security, including any available video, explanations for the lack of body cameras, identification procedures used by ICE agents, prior use-of-force complaints involving the officer who fired the fatal shot, evidence supporting claims that the vehicle posed a threat, and assurances that evidence will not be destroyed or witnesses removed from the country.
During the question-and-answer session, Garcia challenged ICE’s explanation that the absence of body cameras resulted from a government funding issue, saying the agency had already received millions of dollars specifically for that purpose.
Garcia also questioned evolving public explanations surrounding the operation after a Department of Homeland Security statement referenced a tip from a local law enforcement partner, saying that account differed from what she said the acting ICE director told her during their conversation.
Garcia said the investigation extends beyond one family and raises broader questions about constitutional protections.
“This is about making sure that human civil rights are protected, human rights are protected. Constitutional rights are protected in this country,” Garcia said.
She later criticized the tactics used during the shooting, stating, “You shoot the tires, you don’t shoot the driver.”
The fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo remains under multiple investigations by federal authorities while Harris County prosecutors continue their independent fact-finding effort.
