Congressional committee to hold hearing in Houston after ICE fatal shootings

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

A congressional field hearing is scheduled for the end of the month in Texas to address the fatal shooting of a Mexican national by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a news conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C., expressing consternation about two fatal ICE shootings that have occurred in one week. Last Tuesday, a Mexican national was fatally shot in Houston. On Monday, a Colombian national was fatally shot in Biddeford, Maine.

In both cases, the men allegedly drove their vehicles towards ICE agents who fired in self defense, killing them, the Department of Homeland Security said in separate statements.

In the Houston case, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat representing Houston, said ICE agents never identified themselves, were using an unmarked car, the victim was not the target of an investigation, and ICE continued to “change its story.”

After the Houston shooting, the caucus called on DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to launch a full, independent and transparent investigation into the shooting while also claiming that ICE “has no authority to enforce state or local traffic laws.”

DHS’s position contradicts Garcia’s. Last Tuesday, ICE officers “attempted to conduct a vehicle stop as part of a targeted enforcement operation to arrest an illegal alien. The driver of the vehicle, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo – an illegal alien from Mexico – attempted to evade arrest,” DHS said. In response, Araujo allegedly “rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense.”

Acting in self-defense, the ICE officer shot Araujo and emergency services were immediately contacted, DHS said. Araujo was transported to the hospital where he died.

Democratic officials in Texas have called for transparency; family members and others dispute the accounts given by DHS and ICE.

DHS’s Office of Inspector General is investigating the shooting. The FBI is investigating an alleged assault of a federal law enforcement officer, The Center Square reported.

The caucus says there have been 67 deaths linked to DHS immigration enforcement since January 2025.

According to ICE data, assaults against ICE officers are up 1,300% since the second Trump administration began compared to the Biden administration era. Increases in vehicular attacks against ICE agents are up 3,200% and death threats are up by 8,000%, according to the latest ICE data, The Center Square reported.

The caucus has scheduled a field hearing in Houston on July 24, when it says it will hear from eyewitnesses and other testimony related to Araujo’s fatal shooting. Members from the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security will also be in attendance.

In both the Texas and Maine shootings, ICE said the men did not comply with law enforcement instructions and attempted to flee, driving towards the ICE officers, “weaponizing” their vehicles causing the officers to fire in self-defense.

In both instances, the men were also not individuals ICE was looking for in targeted enforcement operations, officials have said. Garcia said this was the case in the Texas shooting. U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-ME, said this was the case in the Maine shooting.

On Tuesday, Maine’s bipartisan delegation called for the DHS OIG to conduct a comprehensive, transparent and expedited investigation into the Biddeford shooting. This is DHS protocol and already underway in Texas, DHS has said.

Also on Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly directed ICE to change its policy when interacting with individuals in vehicles, according to NBC News and the New York Times. Neither outlet cited sources on the record.

The White House, DHS and ICE have not officially confirmed the policy change.