Key facts
- A federal judge has prevented the deportation of Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a witness in the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Araujo Salgado by ICE officers.
- Rojas Pliego is currently in ICE custody and has filed a habeas petition, arguing his detention is unconstitutional.
- Lorenzo Araujo Salgado, a 52-year-old Mexican homebuilder, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on July 7 in Houston.
- The shooting prompted protests and calls for an independent investigation into the incident.
- The Harris County District Attorney's Office is assisting Araujo Salgado's passengers, including Rojas Pliego, in applying for U visas.
A federal judge has issued an order preventing the deportation of Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a key witness in the fatal shooting of Mexican homebuilder Lorenzo Araujo Salgado by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Rojas Pliego, who was a passenger in the van driven by Salgado when the shooting occurred on July 7 in Houston, claims his current detention by ICE is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ruled that Rojas Pliego must remain in the Southern District of Texas while his habeas petition is pending. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, stated that the agency will comply with the court's order. Rojas Pliego entered the U.S. decades ago and has not obtained legal status, according to his stepdaughter.
Attorneys for Rojas Pliego and the other passengers, who are also in ICE custody, dispute the DHS's account of the incident. The DHS has claimed that Salgado was attempting to run over an ICE officer. However, a federal prosecutor indicated that ICE officers may have been targeting different individuals and mistakenly stopped Salgado's van. Salgado, 52, had been living in the U.S. for 35 years and was reportedly close to obtaining legal status, with no known criminal record.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is assisting Salgado's passengers in their applications for U visas, which are available to witnesses cooperating with law enforcement investigations. It is uncertain whether U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will approve these visas. Another passenger, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, has also filed a habeas petition. Meanwhile, Victor Salgado, Lorenzo Araujo Salgado's brother, is scheduled for an immigration hearing, and his attorney has sought to seal his habeas petition due to fears of retaliation against his family and friends.
An FBI investigation into Salgado's vehicle found a white substance in small bags, which appeared to be methamphetamine. However, Victor Salgado's attorney stated the substance was a salt mixture used by the men for hydration during manual labor in the Texas heat.