FBI shifted investigations of fatal shootings by immigration agents to ICE's own HSI unit

On July 16, 2026, the FBI notified field offices in writing that it would stop investigating assaults and shootings involving federal immigration agents, shifting those cases instead to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Because HSI sits inside the same department as the ICE officers whose conduct would be under review, the change effectively hands investigation of incidents involving immigration agents to the agency itself rather than to an independent law-enforcement body such as the FBI.

The shift follows a string of recent fatal shootings by ICE agents, including the July 7 killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and the fatal shooting of Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine days later, both of which had drawn FBI scrutiny before the change. The New York Times first reported the internal guidance; CBS News and NBC News each independently confirmed it, citing their own sources familiar with the directive. The Department of Homeland Security denied in a social-media post that any change was underway, and the Department of Justice and DHS later issued a joint statement saying the FBI would "continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy."

This is a distinct oversight-policy event from any single ICE shooting entry already in the archive — it changes who investigates such incidents going forward, removing an outside check on federal immigration agents' use of force.

Updates

2026-07-20 — Rep. Al Green demanded independent investigation, accused Trump administration of cover-up [3]

Representative Al Green (D-TX), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, publicly accused the Trump administration of attempting to cover up the ICE killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and other Mexican nationals killed by immigration agents. Speaking with Democracy Now, Green stated his belief that "there is an attempt to cover up currently taking place" and demanded a transparent, independent investigation. He noted that the administration's approach of controlling the evidence before any grand jury proceeding would enable the president to pardon individuals if convicted. Green also referenced the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's shadow hearing in Houston, convened to gather testimony from community members about Salgado Araujo's killing and to maintain public attention on the accountability gap created by the FBI's withdrawal from investigating ICE shootings. [4]