FBI search warrant cites possible drug bags in van of man killed by ICE, family says substance was salt
The FBI’s warrant application claimed an agent saw bags that might contain drugs in the vehicle of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot by ICE agents; his family’s lawyer says the material was a salt-based electrolyte mix.
Federal agents filed a search warrant for the van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a construction worker killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a traffic stop in Houston, after an FBI officer reported seeing small plastic bags containing a white, crystal-like substance. The affidavit described the material as "consistent with how users of drugs package controlled substances" and suggested it could be methamphetamine.
Family attorney Ruby L. Powers contested the claim, stating that the substance was granulated salt mixed with lemon and water, a common homemade electrolyte used by outdoor laborers in the Texas heat. Powers said the substance should be tested immediately to clear the family’s name and called for the release of Salgado Araujo’s brother, who remains in ICE custody.
Houston District Attorney Sean Teare described the unsealing of the warrant as "truly unique" in his two-decade career and said the test results would have "no bearing whatsoever" on the justification of the shooting, calling the focus on the bags a "red herring." He added that the evidence does not change the facts surrounding the fatal use of force.
Civil-rights group LULAC’s national communications director, David Cruz, argued that the FBI’s action appears aimed at portraying Salgado Araujo as a criminal rather than holding the ICE officer accountable. He described the narrative as "shameful" and emphasized that the alleged substance is unrelated to the encounter that led to the shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security, which maintains that Salgado Araujo attempted to run over agents and weaponized his vehicle, declined to comment on the warrant. Multiple investigations, including those by the DHS Office of Inspector General, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and the Texas Rangers, are ongoing.