The presiding judge of Texas’ largest county found herself escorted from a well-known rodeo site for the second time on Thursday. This followed an earlier incident in the week when she was removed from a concert after attempting to enter a VIP area without the necessary tickets.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo conducted a brief press conference outside NRG Stadium, seeking to obtain security footage of the earlier occurrence. However, she was once again led off the premises of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Following the press conference, law enforcement accompanied Judge Hidalgo to her vehicle. A rodeo spokesperson explained that she was not authorized to be on the grounds and was only allowed a short window to speak with the media, according to the newspaper.
After Tuesday’s incident at a sold-out concert at NRG Stadium, Judge Hidalgo reviewed security footage. She was initially escorted out for trying to access the dirt floor of the show without the appropriate credentials. In response, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo board voted to rescind her ex officio status amid ongoing tensions. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
The latest removal happened while Hidalgo was at a Megan Moroney concert, where she attempted to enter a premium seating section without tickets.
As a result of these actions, Hidalgo’s “ex-officio director” status was revoked by the Rodeo Houston executive committee. A spokesperson informed Fox News Digital that she will now need to purchase tickets like any other attendee to access the rodeo grounds.
The move came after Hidalgo posted video and audio clips and a letter to rodeo leaders about what unfolded Tuesday night. She said she was manhandled and threatened with arrest after trying to access the concert’s chute area.
Staffers told her she and her guests could not access the area because wristbands were sold out and that they would have to return to their suite. Hidalgo was then asked to leave and escorted out of the venue after being asked several times to return to her seating area, rodeo officials said.
Rodeo officials deny Hidalgo’s mistreatment claims.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo posted short clips on social media showing staffers escorting her from a concert venue at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this week. Hidalgo said she was manhandled and threatened with arrest while attending a concert at the popular rodeo. (Getty Images; Lina Hidalgo Facebook)
In a one-page letter to board officials, Hidalgo suggested that her treatment stemmed from her being a Hispanic woman. She claimed that White men have “felt emboldened to treat others, particularly Hispanics, with physical force.”
“I don’t travel without my passport anymore,” she wrote. “Many of us do, especially those of us who are not white-passing.”
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Chairwoman Pat Phillips and rodeo President Chris Boleman pushed back with their own letter.
“We are very disappointed in Judge Hidalgo’s actions Tuesday night and since. But we must enforce the same access policies for everyone,” they said. “The Judge is the only elected official to request, even demand, these seats night after night. As Chairwoman of the Board, the idea that she was treated this way because she’s a woman or Hispanic is absolutely false and insulting.”
Shelby Pierson carries an American flag as the national anthem plays before Super Series I Round 1 at RodoeHouston during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Park in Houston, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
In addition, Rodeo officials said Hidalgo requested and was given $9,000 in floor access tickets for herself and her guests for three previous nights for concerts to see J Balvin, Dwight Yoakam and Luke Bryan.
On Thursday, Hidalgo called on officials to install more cameras at NRG Stadium.
“You can’t really make things out because it’s very dark and it’s from a distance,” she said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hidalgo. As the county judge, Hidalgo serves as its chief executive and presiding officer of the Commissioners Court, the county’s governing body, managing a budget over $4 billion.
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