Houston's Al Green Files Fifth Impeachment Bid, Cites ICE Killings

Houston Rep. Al Green formally filed new articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Sunday, marking the fifth time in his congressional career he has moved to impeach the president. The resolution, H.Res. 1486, accuses the Trump administration of using Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection as what the filing calls unaccountable paramilitary police forces, and it draws directly on a fatal Houston shooting that has already drawn scrutiny from federal prosecutors.

According to the Tampa Free Press, the resolution alleges that Trump directed ICE and CBP to bypass due process, evade judicial oversight, conduct unlawful detentions, and suppress protected speech. The listed grounds also include defiance of judicial orders, alleged violations of war powers, alleged financial corruption, and what the filing describes as systemic First Amendment violations. As reported by the Washington Examiner, the articles specifically cite the fatal ICE-related shootings of civilians Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Johan Sebastian Durán Guerrero.

A Houston Shooting at the Center of the Filing

Salgado Araujo's death has particular local weight. The 52-year-old construction worker was fatally shot through his van window by an ICE officer in Houston on July 7, an incident that pushed Green to hold a shadow Homeland Security Committee hearing demanding mandatory body and dash cameras for ICE officers, per the Financial Express. The Department of Homeland Security initially said officers acted after observing suspected narcotics inside the van.

That narrative has since come under question. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz confirmed on August 13 that FBI laboratory testing showed the white crystal substance seized from the van was not methamphetamine, according to the Texas Tribune. The discrepancy between the initial federal claim and the lab result has added scrutiny to how DHS has publicly described the shooting.

Advocacy Groups Rally Behind the Resolution

Free Speech For People announced its support for Green's measure, with the group arguing that the administration's deployment of armed federal personnel exceeds constitutional limits. The group's alleged actions, it says, infringed on rights protected by the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Suparna Reddy of the group said no president is above the law and no president may use federal law enforcement as a personal political weapon, adding that Congress has a constitutional responsibility to intervene when executive actions overstep legal boundaries.

John Bonifaz of the same organization said Trump has engaged in multiple abuses of power and called on congressional leadership to initiate formal proceedings immediately. Courtney Hostetler, also with the group, said impeachment exists for moments when a president turns the government against the people and the Constitution, adding that the Constitution does not permit the president to use federal law enforcement as his personal political police force. Free Speech For People says it has compiled 27 separate grounds for impeachment through its Impeach Trump Again campaign and reports that more than 1.1 million people have signed a petition urging Congress to advance impeachment proceedings.

Green's Long History of Impeachment Filings

Sunday's filing is the fifth time Green has introduced articles of impeachment against Trump, following resolutions in December 2017, January 2018, July 2019, and May 2025, according to the Texas Tribune. Green's most recent prior attempt, H.Res. 939, was tabled by the House in a 237-140 vote in December, though 140 House Democrats voted against tabling in an effort to advance the measure.

Green has relied on House Rule IX, which allows a privileged resolution to force floor consideration or a tabling vote within two legislative days of being offered, a mechanism the congressman has used repeatedly since 2017. Green is not alone in pursuing impeachment this term; Rep. John Larson introduced 13 separate articles of impeachment in April, citing unauthorized military strikes in the Middle East, war powers violations, and illegal detentions.

Public Opinion and Local Context

A national survey conducted in April by Lake Research Partners for Free Speech For People found that 52% of likely voters supported impeaching Trump, including 84% of Democrats and 55% of independents, compared with 40% opposed. The poll offers a snapshot of where public sentiment stood roughly four months before Green's latest filing.

The Houston congressman has kept a high profile on the House floor throughout the year. Green was escorted out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms during Trump's State of the Union address in February after hoisting a sign protesting racial rhetoric, as Hoodline reported at the time. With H.Res. 1486 now filed, Republican leadership is widely expected to move to table it, following the same pattern seen with Green's earlier resolutions.