UPDATE (3:00 p.m. CT, July 15, 2026):
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the Department of Public Safety will be conducting an investigation into last week's ICE-involved shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston.Abbott said DPS will be working alongside federal and local law enforcement, but the state agency will also be conducting its own investigation.
"Anytime the Texas Rangers are involved, they work independently," Abbott said. "They’re well known, not just in the state of Texas but elsewhere, for their independence in conducting investigations."
Abbott's remarks follow a formal request by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Police Chief Noe Diaz for the Texas Rangers to conduct their own investigation in the interest of "enhanced transparency."
Original post:
Late Tuesday evening, Mayor John Whitmire and Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz requested the launch of a state-level investigation into the fatal shooting of a man in Houston by a federal immigration officer last week.
In a letter to the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, which was shared with reporters by a representative from Whitmire's office, Diaz writes he and Whitmire "are asking for the Texas Rangers to conduct their own investigation which will ensure it is independent and transparent. This has been done in previous cases."
Houston Public Media has repeatedly requested comment from the Department of Public Safety (DPS), which oversees the Texas Rangers. DPS representatives have acknowledged the requests but have yet to provide information or statements.
"We have asked the Texas Rangers, probably the best investigative body in the world, to come investigate this with a thorough, transparent investigation," Whitmire said Wednesday morning on CNN.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old father of three who was originally from Mexico, was shot and killed by an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 7. He had been living in the United States for decades without legal immigration status, according to his family. The ICE agents involved were not wearing body cameras, and no video footage of the shooting itself has surfaced.
Representatives with ICE have alleged Salgado Araujo "weaponized his vehicle" before an agent shot him in self-defense, a claim disputed by the others in the van with him, including his brother, Victor Salgado Araujo. ICE’s account echoes what has become a common refrain from the federal agency after fatal shootings by its agents, including one earlier this week in Maine.
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A dispute about the Houston shooting could warrant a state-level investigation. The incident is already being investigated at the federal and local levels.
The FBI has stated it is investigating a potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer, while the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating the shooting death. That prompted calls for an independent investigation at a time when ICE arrests and deportations have surged under President Donald Trump.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said last week his office is investigating, and Whitmire on Tuesday reversed course and stated the Houston Police Department is "conducting an investigation." Whitmire and Diaz previously said the city lacked jurisdiction to investigate the shooting, a claim disputed by legal experts.
RELATED: In reversal, Mayor Whitmire says ‘HPD is conducting an investigation’ into ICE shooting
The Texas Rangers conduct major investigations, including officer-involved shootings, as well as overseeing DPS' border security operations. As part of the Department of Public Safety, its investigative unit falls under the jurisdiction of Gov. Greg Abbott, who appoints the director of DPS. A spokesperson for Abbott declined to comment, deferring to the FBI and DPS. Abbott has not publicly spoken about the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
Under the state government code, officers with the Texas Rangers have the authority to make arrests, work in any county, and, if permitted by a judge, work in civil cases as well.
There is no set formula in state code for when the Texas Rangers take on an investigation, but they often come at the behest of local law enforcement agencies or local officials. Abbott often directs the Rangers to investigate matters.
In his CNN interview, Whitmire also said, "We need the federal government. They called in the Texas Rangers in South Texas because they admitted they didn't have the resources." Though he didn't clarify exactly which incident he was referring to, the state has deployed DPS troopers and Texas Rangers in the past to assist the federal government's border security initiatives.
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