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Disputes over the policies, conduct, and oversight of law enforcement agencies.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
7 statements on this page. Dates: July 24, 2026 to October 23, 2026
7 matching statements. Dates: July 24, 2026 to October 23, 2026
7 published statements. Dates: July 24, 2026 to October 23, 2026
6 published statements. Dates: July 24, 2026 to October 23, 2026
6 statements on this page. Dates: July 24, 2026 to October 23, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. representative for Texas's 20th District
Statement summary
Castro criticizes the ruling as a departure from constitutional protections.
“violates the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which protects everyone.”
Castro criticizes the detention ruling and calls it unconstitutional. His broader description is his assessment of the decision.
The case concerns detaining these petitioners during removal proceedings without the individualized bond hearings they seek. Castro criticizes the ruling as a departure from constitutional protections.
Role at the time: U.S. representative for Texas's 20th District, speaking at a San Antonio field hearing
Statement summary
Joaquin Castro named Ruben Ray Martinez during an October 2 San Antonio field hearing and criticized the effects of ICE operations on the community. His office published the remarks that day.
“Our community has become collateral damage in Trump’s mass deportation machine.”
The release attributes remarks to Castro at a San Antonio field hearing. He names Ruben Ray Martinez while criticizing ICE operations and calls for accountability. The release gives the hearing date as October 2; it supplies no time for these remarks.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Castro names Martinez in his criticism of ICE operations and calls the community collateral damage. This is criticism of the conduct and its effects.
Role at the time: U.S. representative for Texas's 20th District
Statement summary
Joaquin Castro said DHS and ICE should not control the inquiry and called for an independent investigation.
“There must be an independent investigation, and the ICE officers who shot Wilber in the back should be held accountable.”
Official statement from Joaquin Castro calling for an independent investigation into the ICE shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.
The statement condemns DHS leadership of the investigation from the case's point of view because Castro explicitly demands an independent inquiry.
Role at the time: U.S. Representative for Texas’s 20th congressional district
Statement summary
Rep. Joaquin Castro described ICE as “rogue, lawless, and deadly” in an official statement about the Austin shooting and called for an independent investigation, medical care for Garcés Pérez, and for him to remain in Texas.
“An ICE agent shot Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez in Austin on Sunday. Instead of receiving medical care, he was sent to an ICE prison. No pain medicine, made to sleep on the floor, and threatened with deportation. Under Trump, ICE has become rogue, lawless, and deadly.”
An official House page hosting Castro’s video about the Austin shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. The page says Castro is calling for an independent investigation, immediate medical care, and for Perez to remain in Texas; it also contains Castro’s attributed account of Perez’s detention and medical treatment. Embedded video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhFBycT6Ups.
Relative to the ICE officer’s use of force against Garcés Pérez, Castro calls ICE “rogue, lawless, and deadly” in a statement specifically about the shooting and urges an independent investigation. This is condemnation of the conduct, not merely a procedural proposal.
Role at the time: U.S. representative speaking on the House floor
Statement summary
Castro named Martinez among people he said ICE had murdered.
“Let us remember the names of those whom ICE has murdered. The first one was a San Antonian, Ruben Ray Martinez. There was another Texan, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of Houston. Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero—these folks were victims of the ICE murders.”
Verbatim record of Rep. Joaquin Castro's two-minute remarks on September 1, 2026, during a Special Order hour on deaths in immigration enforcement and detention, led by Rep. Norma Torres.
Calling the death a murder is an explicit condemnation of the use of deadly force.
Role at the time: U.S. representative for Texas’s 20th congressional district
Response to this claim
The ICE officer fired in self-defense after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo attempted to run over an officer with his van.
“The more evidence that comes out, the clearer it becomes that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was murdered in cold blood by agents of the United States government.”
Official transcript of Castro's remarks directly condemning the shooting and challenging ICE's self-defense account.
Castro’s description of it as murder in cold blood is an explicit rejection of the claim that the force was justified.
1 published statement. Dates: September 3, 2026
1 statement on this page. Dates: September 3, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. representative from Texas
Statement summary
Castro warned that insecure handling of Flock camera data threatens U.S. security and called for federal regulation and built-in protections. His proposed response is regulation rather than a ban.
“National security experts agree that Congress must begin developing regulation and built-in protections for Americans.”
First post in a two-post Bluesky thread. Castro says agency handling of Flock data is insecure.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Calls for tighter data security rules while leaving networked cameras in place.
