The Texas Department of Public Safety announced that the Texas Rangers have agreed to investigate the July 7 fatal shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by a U.
S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Houston.
Salgado Araujo was killed during a morning pursuit by federal agents driving unmarked vehicles while he was transporting his work crew.
Following the incident, the FBI filed a search warrant on July 14 after an agent reported finding suspected drugs inside the victim's van.
Family attorney Ruby Powers challenged the federal drug claims, stating that the recovered white crystal-like substance was actually a homemade rehydration mixture.
Powers requested immediate laboratory testing to clear the deceased man's name and called for the release of his brother, Victor, from immigration custody.
"After consulting with my client and his family, our understanding is that this was granulated salt, which is paired with lemon and water as a homemade electrolyte mix used by outdoor workers in extreme Texas heat," said Powers.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office also expressed skepticism regarding the initial drug allegations made by federal investigators.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare publicly doubted the FBI's preliminary assessment of the vehicle's contents based on passenger background checks.
"Based on what we've learned about the passengers, it's inconsistent that drugs were in the van," said Teare.
The Texas Rangers will conduct their inquiry alongside the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
State authorities noted that the Rangers did not have access to the initial scene but are participating following an official agency request.
"As previously stated, for decades, it has been the standard, established practice of the Texas Rangers to investigate OIS when requested by an involved law enforcement agency - local, state or federal - or a prosecuting entity," said the Texas Department of Public Safety in an official release.
The fatal encounter in Houston occurred amid a broader shift in federal immigration enforcement tactics.
President Donald Trump overturned a temporary pause on ICE traffic stops that had been briefly implemented by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin following multiple shooting incidents.
An internal email reviewed by ABC News showed that senior ICE leadership had initially ordered deportation officers to halt vehicle stops immediately to prioritize alternative operational methods.
"All personnel are instructed to prioritize other existing operational methods, outside of vehicle stops, to conduct immigration enforcement activities," wrote a senior ICE official.
Prior to the reversal, federal sources indicated that officers were slated to receive new training.
Border czar Tom Homan confirmed on Fox News that the review was a temporary safety assessment rather than a permanent policy change.
"It is not a policy change, it is a temporary pause," said Homan.
Homan expressed confidence in the agency's existing training protocols while noting that leadership wanted to examine recent escalation factors.
"Look, the last couple of shootings, ICE leadership, along with DHS, wants to look at these last couple of incidents and look, is there something that could have been done better?
Is there any training that could be improved?
Or is ICE simply doing their job, and bad things happen when people don't comply with law enforcement officers?
I think it going to be a short pause, and I am confident that ICE is well trained in vehicle stops and you're going to see us keep moving forward," said Homan.
The policy review followed another fatal enforcement action in Biddeford, Maine.
Senator Angus King reported that an ICE agent shot and killed 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Guerrero, who was not the intended target of that operation.
