[Gov. Greg Abbott](https://directory.texastribune.org/greg-abbott/) on Wednesday broke his silence about the fatal Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican citizen who lived in the Houston area for decades, saying that “any loss of life is tragic.”
Speaking to reporters, the governor confirmed that the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers, the state police’s investigative division, will probe the shooting with federal authorities, after days of Democratic and civil rights leaders in Houston calling for just that.
ICE officers killed Salgado Araujo July 7 while trying to pull over a van he was driving, even though federal authorities have since said he was not the target of their operation that morning. Abbott and other top Texas Republicans were [largely silent](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/10/texas-ice-shooting-houston-gop-silence-greg-abbott-sylvia-garcia/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1783715687&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook,twitter) in the days following the killing.
“In Texas and across America, we don’t want to see people shot. Period,” Abbott said. “That’s separate from whether or not the immigration laws are going to be enforced. I fully expect our immigration laws to be enforced, but it’s proven that immigration laws can be enforced and stopping illegal immigration from coming across our border can be achieved without shooting people.”
_This is a developing story that will be updated._