David Donatti is a Houston-based civil-rights attorney and senior staff attorney in the ACLU of Texas legal department. His work includes immigration and voting-rights litigation. He joined the organization in 2019 after practicing international dispute resolution.
Case
ICE says an officer shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in self-defense after he used his van as a weapon. Passenger witnesses dispute the claimed threat, and a Harris County grand jury is reviewing the shooting.
Role at the time: Senior staff attorney, ACLU of Texas
Statement summary
David Donatti said Salgado Araujo should still be alive and accused the government of constructing a false narrative after the shooting.
“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo should still be alive today, and nothing about the government's so-called 'search' could have changed that fact. By taking the unusual steps of securing and then unsealing their search warrant, the government has demonstrated that it is more interested in creating a false narrative than in seeking the truth.”
Relative to the fatal use of force, Donatti says Salgado Araujo should still be alive and rejects the government’s post-shooting narrative. The statement condemns the killing itself rather than only challenging its description.
Statement dates: July 24, 2026
Statement dates: July 24, 2026
Statement dates: July 24, 2026
