FBI suggests migrants' van in fatal Houston shooting had meth. A lawyer says it was salt.

The FBI sought a search warrant to seize plastic bags with "crystal-like substances" inside the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by an immigration agent last week. [KSAT 12]

Federal investigators obtained a warrant to examine material discovered inside the vehicle of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the 52-year-old man killed during an immigration enforcement operation on July 7. According to court documents, FBI agents suspected crystalline substances found in clear plastic bags within the van could be methamphetamine based on their appearance and packaging. However, legal representatives for two men who were passengers in the vehicle disputed those claims, asserting the material was ordinary salt mixed with lemon and water—a homemade electrolyte solution commonly used by outdoor laborers to combat dehydration in Texas' intense summer conditions.

Ruby Powers, an immigration attorney representing Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, the front passenger, called for expedited laboratory testing to resolve the matter. "After consulting with my client and his family, our understanding is that this was granulated salt, which is paired with lemon and water as a homemade electrolyte mix used by outdoor workers in extreme Texas heat, not methamphetamine or any other illicit substance," Powers said Thursday. The other passengers in the vehicle similarly denied any illegal drugs were present and confirmed they regularly carried salt for the same occupational purpose.

Salgado Araujo carried no criminal history and had resided in Houston since 1989, according to public records. Family members indicated he was nearing completion of legal status applications being processed through his adult children, who are U.S. citizens. His death marked an unintended consequence of the federal operation, as U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia confirmed Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the immigration enforcement action, information she obtained directly from acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director David Venturella.

Powers emphasized that laboratory results would not alter the fundamental questions surrounding the shooting. "But no test result, whatever it ultimately shows, will change the fact that deadly force was used against Lorenzo. You cannot shoot first and ask questions later," she said. The FBI's Houston office is investigating potential assaults on federal law enforcement officers, while the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General separately examines the circumstances of the fatal shooting.

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz, newly appointed to oversee the Southern District of Texas, pledged thoroughness in the investigation. "We are doing everything we can to seek the truth and do the right thing," Reitz stated, calling for public patience as federal agencies continue their inquiries.