Ken Paxton
Role at the time: Texas attorney general and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate
Statement summary
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, commenting on the shooting, told reporters that law enforcement officers have a hard job and make tough decisions and that "we need to stand behind our law enforcement." He added that this does not mean they can do no wrong and that "we always need to verify."
“All I know is that we need to stand behind our law enforcement. That doesn’t mean that they can’t do no wrong. We always need to verify. But these guys have a hard job and they make tough decisions.”
Texas Tribune report, published July 15, 2026, that includes Attorney General Ken Paxton's first public remarks about the July 7 ICE shooting in Houston, made to reporters on Tuesday night, July 14, after a rally in McAllen.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case asks whether the ICE officer was justified in fatally shooting Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Paxton said "we need to stand behind our law enforcement" and that officers have a hard job and make tough decisions. He added that this does not mean they can do no wrong and that "we always need to verify," but he did not criticize the shooting, so we labeled it Defended or excused.