Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing renewed criticism following revelations that a Houston man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, killed by an ICE officer on July 7 did not have drugs in his vehicle. Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national and father of three, was killed by an ICE officer during a traffic stop where he allegedly attempted to evade arrest. An FBI search warrant indicated the presence of small, clear plastic bags containing a white, crystal-like substance, which was described as being consistent with methamphetamine.
However, the Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed on Friday that the substance found in Salgado Araujo's van tested negative for narcotics and illicit drugs. "We have notified Salgado Araujo's family because we felt they had the right to know," a representative from the District Attorney's office stated. The substance was identified as an electrolyte powder used for hydration by outdoor workers in the Texas heat.
Democratic congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, who represents Houston, asserted on X that the substance was "an electrolyte powder to stay hydrated working outside in the hot Texas summer." She added, "The attempt to cast a shadow over Lorenzo Salgado's name has failed."
Ruby Powers, an attorney representing Salgado Araujo's brother, Victor, who was a passenger in the van, stated that the product was granulated salt mixed with lemon and water as a homemade electrolyte mix. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told CNN that Salgado Araujo's wife prepared these electrolyte mixes for his work crew every morning, a practice they had followed for years. "This is something they've been doing for years, which is consistent with where the baggies were found," Teare said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, initially stated that Salgado had "attempted to evade arrest" and had "weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer," leading the unnamed officer to fire his weapon in self-defense. Preliminary information indicated that the driver shifted the van in reverse and then forward while an officer was partially inside or immediately next to the vehicle.
However, witnesses present in the van have contested the official account. Daniel Tirado Pantoja, a rear passenger, filed a statement in Houston federal court claiming that Salgado Araujo "had come to a full stop while the agents fired" and that "at no moment were the agents in front" of the van. Another passenger, Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, stated that Salgado Araujo stopped the van when they were cornered by agents, but the officer shot him regardless. Rojas Pliego called the claim that officers were at risk of being run over "a lie," asserting the officers were on the sides of the vehicle.
ICE officers involved in the shooting were not wearing body cameras, and footage of the incident has not emerged. Salgado Araujo had been living in the U.S. without legal status for 35 years and reportedly had no criminal record. The FBI, DHS, and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the death.