Garcia calls the shooting an abuse of government power
Sylvia GarciaU.S. representative for Texas’s 29th congressional district
Garcia condemned the shooting as an abuse of government power, rejected DHS investigating itself and called for an independent investigation, disclosure of evidence and accountability.
Responding to
The ICE officer fired in self-defense after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo attempted to run over an officer with his van.
“This is an outrageous abuse of government power. ICE pursued the wrong van and killed an unarmed man who wasn’t their target.”
Original text
Other statements by Sylvia Garcia in this case
Every statement by Sylvia Garcia
Where this statement fits
Was ICE justified in fatally shooting Lorenzo Salgado Araujo?
On July 7, 2026, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Houston construction contractor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an attempted vehicle stop. ICE said the officer fired in self-defense after Salgado Araujo tried to run over an officer with his van. Passengers said no officer was in the van’s path and that Salgado Araujo had stopped before the shot. A later Justice Department account described possible vehicle movement with an officer beside or partly inside the van but expressly reserved any final conclusion.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Verbatim House-floor record of Garcia's September 1 remarks condemning the shooting and calling for an independent investigation.
Before the quotation
On the House floor, Garcia described the mistaken target, unmarked vehicles, absent body and dash cameras and the accounts she received from two passengers.
After the quotation
She demanded an independent investigation, release of all evidence, accountability and justice for Salgado Araujo.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Garcia expressly called it an abuse, rejected the agency’s justification and demanded justice and accountability, which is direct condemnation.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full casePadilla co-signs letter citing Salgado Araujo's death as showing inadequate ICE use-of-force training
“On July 7, 2026, an ICE officer in Houston, Texas fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old construction worker and father of three, while he was driving a work crew to a job site. Witnesses have disputed DHS's account that Mr. Salgado Araujo used his vehicle as a weapon. ... These killings, combined with the whistleblower's account of corners cut on both vetting and training, make clear that officers hired during the surge did not receive adequate instruction in de-escalation, use-of-force standards, and vehicle-stop protocols before being sent into communities with the authority to use deadly force.”Read statement
Ronaldo Salgado questions the public-safety justification for pursuing his father
“How is going after my dad going to work making the city safer?”Read statement
Free Speech For People condemns the Salgado Araujo killing
Free Speech For People
“While the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was the most horrific instance of criminality federal agents committed in Houston”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Garcia calls the shooting an abuse of government power". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1395-garcia-condemned-the-shooting-as-an-abuse-of