Anti-ICE Attorney With Violent Criminal History Gets Democrat Platform

Clear Facts

• Immigration lawyer Hugo Balderas-Ibarra is currently out on $20,000 bond facing felony assault charges for allegedly strangling a woman in 2024
• Court documents reveal he was already on bail for separate domestic violence, kidnapping and false imprisonment charges in Florida when the Texas strangling incident occurred
• Despite these charges, Democratic Representatives Al Green and Sylvia Garcia shared a platform with Balderas-Ibarra at a press conference attacking ICE

An immigration lawyer who recently appeared alongside Democratic lawmakers to attack federal immigration enforcement is currently facing serious criminal charges including felony assault and strangulation, according to court documents obtained by Fox News.

Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, a private practice attorney in Texas, represents two of three passengers who were in a van when Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week. At a press conference following the incident, Balderas-Ibarra launched a scathing attack on ICE, demanding the immediate release of his clients and accusing federal agents of lying about the shooting and engaging in “racial profiling.”

However, a Harris County District Court charging document reveals a troubling backstory. Balderas-Ibarra is currently out on a $20,000 bond on a felony assault family violence by impeding breathing charge stemming from a 2024 incident.

The document describes a disturbing pattern of behavior. According to the alleged victim, with whom Balderas-Ibarra had a dating relationship, an argument erupted when she was preparing to take a flight after discovering something on his phone. She packed her belongings, but Balderas-Ibarra took them.

When he agreed to bring her luggage to the airport, the situation escalated violently. Court documents state he “threw her luggage on the ground,” and when she bent down to pick it up, he “grabbed her by her neck with his left hand.”

The victim told investigators he held her by the neck for several seconds. When he noticed people approaching, he reportedly “squeezed harder and twisted her throat.” She said she was unable to breathe during the strangulation and felt dizzy and disoriented.

Afterwards, she experienced nausea, headaches and felt faint. Photos taken by authorities show redness and swelling on the woman’s neck, corroborating her account.

The revelations get worse. A Harris County bond motion shows that at the time of the strangling incident, Balderas-Ibarra was already on bail for a separate domestic violence charge, kidnapping and false imprisonment in Seminole County, Florida.

According to the State Bar of Texas website, Balderas-Ibarra is eligible to practice law in the state with a “probationary license.”

Despite this criminal background, Balderas-Ibarra was given a platform last Friday at a press conference alongside Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, also a Democrat. The event focused on criticizing ICE’s handling of the shooting involving Salgado Araujo, a Mexican citizen who authorities said was in the country illegally.

ICE maintains that Araujo was shot and killed after he tried to ram an ICE officer with his vehicle during a traffic stop. Araujo was struck and taken to a hospital, where he later died.

At the press conference, Balderas-Ibarra claimed ICE’s accounts of the shooting have “varied” and that his clients’ versions are “extremely different from what ICE agents are saying or what the agency is saying.”

“All three of my clients reiterated that at no point was there ever an agent standing in front of the vehicle, nor was an agent ever placed in the line of danger. That is simply false. And I believe my clients are telling the truth.”

He demanded ICE release his clients to ensure they are not deported, claiming this would preserve the “integrity” of investigations into the shooting.

“I am calling for drastic changes to the way ICE conducts their immigration enforcement. This is not immigration enforcement. This is racial profiling.”

The incident raises serious questions about the judgment of Democratic officials who chose to share a platform with an attorney facing such serious criminal charges. It also highlights the increasingly aggressive stance some Democratic lawmakers are taking against federal immigration enforcement, even when it means standing alongside individuals with troubling legal histories.

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