HOUSTON – The feud between Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and how she claimed she was handled by security staff at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Tuesday continues into Thursday morning.
Late Wednesday, Hidalgo released two audio and two video recordings of the incident she claimed happened between her and rodeo security. Hidalgo said she was physically shoved and threatened by security staff when she attended the Megan Moroney concert at NRG Stadium with several guests.
On Wednesday on Facebook, Hidalgo released a two-page letter detailing the incident. In the letter, she said she was denied access to the dirt area because she did not have a wristband, something she said surprised her because she has never needed one in the past.
“I have always been allowed on the dirt based on the county’s relationship with the rodeo, regardless of wristband,” Hidalgo wrote in the letter. “Nobody has ever told me I needed a special pass to access the dirt.”
She also recounted a moment when a young girl in her group was allegedly heckled by a man in the crowd. When the child’s mother asked rodeo officials to intervene, Hidalgo wrote that they responded, “Well, I told you to leave,” a request Hidalgo said had never previously been made.
“I felt disrespected, threatened and physically unsafe, as did my guests and the kids,” Hidalgo wrote. “While I appreciate the work that the rodeo staff and volunteers do to manage such a large event, I cannot be complacent.”
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Hidalgo said she had video of the incident, which she released Thursday morning.
In the video, you could hear Hidalgo going back and forth with two men, who appeared to be officers or security at the event. In one video, Hidalgo could be heard asking if she could speak with witnesses about the incident and claiming that she was pushed by security.
HSLR has not responded to the videos, but did release a statement about the incident:
“On March 10, during the sold-out Megan Moroney concert, Judge Lina Hidalgo attempted to access the dirt area without a valid chute seat ticket. Additionally, she attempted to bring several guests, also without chute seat tickets. Rodeo security advised that dirt access is limited to chute seat ticket holders only, a premium ticket priced at $425 and the group was directed back to their ticketed seating.”
KPRC 2 News also spoke with someone from RodeoHouston, who confirmed the following information about Hidalgo’s participation in the 2026 rodeo:
- Lina Hidalgo had suite tickets to Megan Moroney.
- Since chute seats were sold out, officials asked her to return to the suite multiple times. Eventually, they asked her to leave altogether when she refused to return to her assigned suite.
- Lina Hidalgo is the only elected official to ask for chute tickets in the 2026 HLSR season.
- So far this Rodeo season, Lina Hidalgo has visited the Rodeo at least 3 other times and been given 21 chute tickets for free, which have a total value of nearly $9,000.