Houston ICE shooting witness ordered released by federal judge
A judge ordered ICE to free Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a witness in the fatal Houston shooting of Lorenzo Araujo Salgado.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to release Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a Houston ICE shooting witness who was riding in a van when an officer fatally shot Mexican homebuilder Lorenzo Araujo Salgado during a July 7 traffic stop.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison on Monday directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to free Rojas Pliego within 48 hours, CBS News reported. Ellison had previously blocked his deportation and agreed with Rojas Pliego’s argument that his detention violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights.
Rojas Pliego’s attorney, Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, did not immediately respond to a CBS News request for comment.
Why was the Houston ICE shooting witness ordered released?
Ellison’s order says ICE must release Rojas Pliego in a public place within the Southern District of Texas and give his lawyer at least three hours’ notice, according to KHOU-TV. The agency must also return his personal belongings, including identity documents such as a driver’s license or passport.
The judge also wrote that if immigration agents try to detain Rojas Pliego again, they must notify him and hold a hearing before taking him back into custody.
Rojas Pliego was one of three passengers in the van driven by Araujo Salgado when the shooting happened. All three passengers were taken into ICE custody after the traffic stop, CBS News reported.
The Department of Homeland Security said soon after the shooting that Araujo Salgado had used his vehicle as a weapon while trying to run over an ICE officer, and that the officer fired in self-defense.
Rojas Pliego and another passenger disputed that account in statements filed in court. They said the officers were positioned on the sides of the van, not in front of it or behind it. Rojas Pliego called the government’s version “a lie,” according to CBS News.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, the top prosecutor in the Houston area, told CBS News his office is “more than prepared” to prosecute federal immigration agents if an investigation finds criminal wrongdoing in the shooting.
Who was Lorenzo Araujo Salgado?
Araujo Salgado was 52, a father of three and had lived in the United States for 35 years, according to his family. His relatives said he was close to obtaining legal status and had no known criminal record.
CBS News reported that his death was one of at least 10 killings during immigration enforcement operations since the start of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The shooting prompted protests in Houston and demands for an independent investigation.
Rojas Pliego also entered the United States decades ago and did not have legal status, according to his stepdaughter, Griselda Silva.
What is a U-Visa?
A U-Visa is a special immigration status for victims of certain crimes who suffered physical or mental abuse and helped law enforcement. According to Ellison’s order, Rojas Pliego has a pending U-Visa application.
If the application is approved, Rojas Pliego would receive a four-year work permit, protection from deportation and a path to a green card, the order says.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.