Critics accuse federal prosecutors of smearing Houston man killed by ICE

Key Points:

• An FBI agent discovered tied plastic baggies resembling illegal drugs in a van involved in a fatal ICE shooting in Houston, prompting a search warrant and laboratory testing; unusually, the warrant was unsealed and made public during the ongoing investigation, raising concerns among legal experts and advocates.
• Immigration rights advocates and some officials argue the unsealing appears to be a smear campaign against the deceased, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who had no prior criminal record and whose family claims the substances were harmless homemade electrolyte mixes, not drugs.
• Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare criticized federal authorities for limited cooperation and suggested the FBI may not have fully processed the van for evidence, suspecting the focus on visible baggies was intended to damage Salgado Araujo’s reputation.
• Former federal prosecutors and DOJ veterans called the unsealing “abnormal” and risky, as it could compromise the investigation and prejudice public opinion before any indictment or trial.
• US Attorney Aaron Reitz, appointed recently, stated that no final conclusions have been drawn and urged the public to allow federal agencies to complete their investigations, while the DHS Office of Inspector General continues to probe the ICE officer’s use of deadly force.