Texas Worker Killed by ICE Had No Drugs Despite FBI Claims
Lab tests confirmed a Texas construction worker fatally shot by ICE agents was not carrying drugs, contradicting federal claims the white substance was narcotics rather than electrolytes.
The office of Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced this week that testing on substances found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s work van returned negative results for narcotics and illicit drugs, according to Emily Hallas writing in Washington Examiner. The district attorney’s office said it notified Araujo’s family of the findings.
Araujo was fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on July 7 in Houston. Following the shooting, the FBI claimed there appeared to be drugs in the Mexican citizen’s vehicle, specifically citing white crystalline substances visible in plastic bags. Those claims have now been disproven by laboratory analysis.
The family and local authorities had immediately disputed the drug allegations, explaining that the white bags contained a homemade electrolyte mixture that Araujo’s wife prepared daily for his construction crew to combat the extreme Texas heat.
Attorney Ruby Powers, representing the family, explained that the substance was granulated salt combined with lemon and water as a hydration aid for outdoor workers.
Araujo had lived in the Houston area for approximately three decades, building a family and home-construction business. According to his son, he had submitted an application for a work permit and was nearing legal status at the time of his death. He was heading to a work site with his crew when the fatal encounter occurred.
The Department of Homeland Security has stated that Araujo was not the original target of the deportation operation. ICE agents reportedly stopped him because he was driving a white cargo van matching a vehicle description connected to their actual target location.
According to DHS, Araujo failed to comply with commands to stop his vehicle, instead putting it in reverse and attempting to flee, which led to the shooting. Family members believe he was likely frightened and may not have recognized the agents as government officers, as they were not wearing clearly identifiable uniforms.
FBI Special Agent David McNiell filed a warrant affidavit on July 14 citing probable cause for drug distribution and possession charges, claiming he observed small plastic bags containing white crystalline substances in plain view after arriving at the scene post-shooting. The Department of Homeland Security has not indicated that ICE agents had any knowledge of possible drugs in the vehicle at the time they stopped Araujo.
District Attorney Teare supported the family’s account, stating that based on what investigators learned about the vehicle’s passengers, the presence of drugs was inconsistent with the evidence. He confirmed to media that Araujo’s wife had been preparing the homemade electrolyte drinks for years for the work crew every morning.
With information from Washington Examiner
