In 2001, she was featured in the music video for Brooks & Dunn's song "Ain't Nothing 'bout You". Garza also appeared in the music video "All or Nothing" released by the boy band O-Town in 2001. She obtained the role of Rosa Santos on the soap opera, All My Children, guest-starring roles in JAG, Charmed, Two and a Half Men, and Las Vegas. She starred as Maria in the short-lived television series The Mountain. In 2006, she starred in Mr. Fix-It co-starring David Boreanaz. She also guest-starred as an evil Kryptonian (named "Aethyr" in promotional materials) in the Season 5 premiere episode of Smallville and played the recurring role of Marisol Delko Caine on the CBS television series CSI: Miami. She has twice been featured in the "Girls of Maxim" online gallery.
In 2006, she joined the cast of NBC's Law & Order during the premiere of Season 17, portraying Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa. Her performance as ADA Rubirosa has been widely praised by critics. In 2007, she earned a nomination for "Best Supporting Actress—Television" by the Imagen Foundation Awards. Following in 2008, she was nominated for an ALMA Award as "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Television Series". Later that year, she garnered an "Impact Award" for "Outstanding Performance in a Dramatic Television Series" by the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
In July 2011, de la Garza was reported to reprise her role as Marisol Delko Caine, on CSI: Miami's season 10 premiere.
In February 2012, she was cast as a lead in the NBC medical drama pilot Do No Harm. She played Dr. Lena Solis, a Neurologist. In June 2012, De La Garza was added to the cast of Are You Here, the feature film debut of Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.
In 2014–2015 she co-starred as police detective Jo Martinez in the ABC television series Forever. In September 2015, she began a recurring role as the new head of Homeland Security on Scorpion. She has recently joined the main cast of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, starring as the female-lead opposite Gary Sinise.
