Houston's police chief has asked the Texas Rangers to investigate a deadly ICE shooting.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, on July 7, 2026, in Houston. Salgado Araujo was a Mexican citizen and a father of three. He had lived in the Houston area for decades without legal immigration status. He was driving a van, reportedly taking a work crew to a job site, when the shooting happened. Federal authorities say he was not the target of the ICE operation that day.
ICE agents, reportedly in unmarked vehicles, tried to pull the van over. ICE says Salgado Araujo "weaponized his vehicle" and that the officer fired in self-defense. Witnesses dispute that account, including his brother. The ICE agents were not wearing body cameras. No video of the shooting has surfaced.
One week later, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr. sent a formal letter to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Col. Freeman F. Martin. Mayor John Whitmire directed him to send it. The letter asks the Texas Rangers to run their own investigation into the shooting.
"Mayor Whitmire and I are asking the Texas Rangers to conduct their own investigation which will ensure it is independent and transparent," Chief Diaz wrote.
Mayor Whitmire echoed that call. "We need...the Texas Rangers...to...ensure it is independent and transparent," he said, according to KUT/Houston Public Media. ABC13 reported he also said the public deserves transparency and accountability when law enforcement takes a life.
Texas DPS had not agreed to investigate as of July 14. The agency told state lawmakers it had "not received a request from any federal agency" to investigate. Houston area lawmakers had already written to DPS. They argued the Texas Rangers have statewide authority (legal power) to investigate officer-involved shootings. That power covers shootings by federal officers too, they said.
Gov. Greg Abbott broke a week of silence on the case on Wednesday, July 15. Abbott and other top Texas Republicans had not commented publicly in the days after the July 7 killing. Abbott called the death "tragic," saying "any loss of life is tragic." He confirmed that Texas DPS and the Texas Rangers will investigate the shooting alongside federal authorities. Abbott said "it's proven that immigration laws can be enforced...without shooting people." Abbott is the one who appoints the DPS director, who in turn oversees the Texas Rangers.
The shooting is now drawing scrutiny from several agencies at once. The FBI is investigating a potential assault on federal law enforcement tied to the case. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General is investigating the death. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare's office is investigating as well. The Houston Police Department is also now investigating, a reversal from its earlier position that it would not get involved. A U.S. Attorney has pledged a "thorough investigation." Once the Texas Rangers join, they will investigate alongside the FBI and DHS. The Rangers did not have access to the scene right after the shooting.
The case has led to a change in ICE policy. A similar fatal shooting also happened in Maine. After the two shootings, ICE issued nationwide orders telling agents to stop vehicle pursuits. In Houston, people have held vigils and called publicly for justice in the case. Democratic leaders and civil rights leaders in Houston had been pushing for a state investigation before Abbott's Wednesday comments.
The shooting happened during a broader increase in ICE arrests and deportations under President Donald Trump's administration.
