Castro Speaks at Oversight Hearing on ICE Killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Castro Speaks at Oversight Hearing on ICE Killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

"Donald Trump's Campaign of Mass Deportation is an Assault on the Hispanic Community in the United States of America

"Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a Full Partner in That Brutality"

HOUSTON, TX-Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) joined an oversight hearing on U.S. Immigration and Custom's Enforcement's (ICE) use of force and abuse of power, leading to the tragic killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on July 7, 2026.

View Congressman Castro's remarks here.

Remarks as delivered below:

Thank you, Chairman. I want to also express my condolences to the Salgado family, to all three brothers, and to your mom and to your extended family and say thank you to Congresswoman Garcia, and to the Houston delegation, and the entire city of Houston that has shown incredible courage, and stood up to this injustice, to the members of the legislature and the city council, and to the mayor, who have pushed and advocated in their own ways. Thank you so much.

The more evidence that comes out, the clearer it becomes that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was murdered in cold blood by agents of the United States government. ICE has not produced a shred of evidence to support its claim that Lorenzo was a danger to them. No body-camera footage, no dashcam footage, no Ring camera footage from homes or businesses nearby.

When law enforcement has the evidence and facts on their side, they put them out immediately. ICE has not done any of that. Instead, ICE has chosen to smear a good man, a hardworking man, a family man. They have treated him with the same indignity in death as they did in life. They said that he was not their target. That's because everyone is their target. Everyone who is brown, who is speaking Spanish in public, Latino men who are driving in construction trucks, going to and from work, putting in a hard day's work.

Donald Trump's campaign of mass deportation is an assault on the Hispanic community in the United States of America. And let us also remember that Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a full partner in that brutality. We see it on the streets and behind the prison walls of places like Dilley and Pearsall and Karnes in those detention centers. Governor Abbott has forced state and local law enforcement to assist ICE despite its reckless brutality. No identification, no warrants, full masks, and guns drawn. He is also the first governor to allow the Texas National Guard to be deployed into ICE detention centers like Dilley, where children as young as two months old are imprisoned in a trailer prison. This system and the people within it who have broken the law must be held accountable and brought to justice. Thank you to everyone who is committed to that.