Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat, House Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) for an oversight forum on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) use of force and abuse of power, following the tragic killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE in Houston on July 7, 2026. 

The forum, entitled “Seeking Justice: Oversight of ICE’s Use of Force in the Death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo,” included testimony from Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s sons, Ronaldo Salgado Araujo and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr.; Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare; Houston City Council Member Joaquin Martinez (District I); LULAC President & CEO Juan Proaño; East End Communities Director Patricia Cabrera; and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Rev. Salvatore De George.

Congresswoman Fletcher’s oversight forum remarks as delivered:

Congresswoman Fletcher:

Well thank you, Chairman Espaillat, and thanks to you and Ranking Member Thompson and Representative Garcia for convening this important oversight forum.  And I want to thank all of my colleagues who've come from across the country to see and hear from our community.  And I want to thank our witnesses from our community for so beautifully explaining and showing this community to the rest of the country.  Because people across our community and across the country, as Father De George and Ms. Cabrera explained so beautifully, have been living in fear.  And their worst fears were realized again when federal agents killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.  So I want to thank all of you for testifying and for your leadership in our community, especially at this devastating time. 

Ronaldo and Lorenzo, my thoughts have been and will continue to be with you and your mother and your entire family, not just today, but in all the days ahead.  You make us proud, and you make us all proud for your advocacy and for your commitment to justice for all.  And I hope today's hearing will demonstrate to you and to everyone here our commitment of not only our Houston Congressional Democratic Delegation, but the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the entire House Democratic Caucus. 

It is a failure of this Congress—and many before—that we have not been able to pass laws to address our broken immigration system.  The people here have been trying and will continue to do so, but it is a new and utter failure of this Republican-controlled Congress that has not only failed to address—it has refused to address the abuses that this White House is directing in terms of immigration enforcement operations.  And that it has done nothing—nothing—when innocent people in this country have been killed at the hands of federal immigration agents this year and during this term.

It is a betrayal of families and communities across the country that we represent.  It is a betrayal of the Constitution that we have all sworn an oath to protect and defend, and it is a betrayal of our values as Americans.  And yet, what we hear from those who are directing these policies is that these actions are being taken to make us safe.  And so, District Attorney Teare, I want to direct my questions—start my questions—with you.  Can you tell us from your experience of 20 years in law enforcement whether the policies that we have seen implemented at ICE—and in terms of immigration enforcement throughout DHS—in the last 18 months have made our communities safer?

District Attorney Teare:

Objectively, no.  They've had the complete opposite effect.

Congresswoman Fletcher:

And can you tell us why that is?  Can you give us some examples of what is making us less safe because of the policies that this administration is implementing?

District Attorney Teare:

We have people who are here unauthorized, who are victims of domestic violence, aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, who are too scared to even call the police, let alone participate in prosecutions of people who are here with documentation or who are citizens.  These policies have effectively created a group of our community that are targets, and that's what we're seeing.

And we can't hold the people that prey on them accountable.  And that group of people knows it.

Congresswoman Fletcher:

Thank you.  In addition, Mr. Green asked about dash cams, and I also want to ask about the increased presence of unmarked vehicles and plainclothes officers for immigration enforcement activities.  That's something I know many of us up here have objected to repeatedly, but can you talk about what that does in our communities as well?

District Attorney Teare:

Yeah.  It continues the feeling of fear—the floating fear that Father talked about.  But it's just not good law enforcement policy.  Undercover work is crucial to good law enforcement policy.  But undercover officers don't then affect the traffic stops for reasons that we have seen time and again around the fear of the person trying to be stopped.  So it is not best practices.

Congresswoman Fletcher:

Thank you.  And with the time I have left, Council Member Martinez, I just want to direct this question to you.  Can you share with us how you see in the community this affects interactions with law enforcement agencies that come under your jurisdiction, like the Houston Police Department and others, and in the community because of the actions of these federal officers?

Council Member Martinez:

Yes, Congresswoman.  So it's important to continue to highlight that calls for services are down.  My team, we've done some research.  We've gotten data from HPD within our zip codes.  And they have gone down.  And then even heavier in the southwest part of Houston, where we have an even more diverse immigrant population, called them services have gone down even more.  So what we're finding as well is that, when residents—and I've shared my personal number with several community folks—when something is happening, an operation is happening, and folks can’t identify who is heading that operation, we're having to call and figure out what agency this is

in order to try and tamper down those fears.

Congresswoman Fletcher:

Thank you, Council Member, I've gone over my time, I appreciate it.  Thank you all for your testimony and for your work.  And thank you again for convening this hearing.  And I yield back.

To watch the forum, click here.