José Trinidad Rojas Pliego—one of two surviving passengers in the work van where Houston father Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on 7 July—walked out of a Texas detention facility Wednesday evening wearing an ankle monitor and clutching court papers ordering his release. The decision by U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison caps weeks of legal wrangling that drew national attention to ICE’s use-of-force and post-incident detention practices. Rojas Pliego, a long-time Houston resident who lacks legal status, had publicly contradicted the Department of Homeland Security’s claim that Salgado tried to ram agents with the van. In sworn statements, both surviving passengers said officers in unmarked vehicles boxed in the van and fired when Salgado attempted to park—not accelerate. Civil-rights lawyers argued that detaining the witnesses while the agency investigated its own shooting created a chilling conflict of interest and risked an “obstruction of justice by deportation.” Judge Ellison agreed, ordering ICE to halt removal proceedings and to free Rojas pending further inquiry. Federal prosecutors sought an emergency stay, warning the order could impede future immigration enforcement, but the Fifth Circuit declined to intervene Wednesday. The episode highlights how stepped-up interior enforcement under President Trump’s 2026 directives is colliding with due-process protections. For global-mobility managers, the case is another signal that foreign national employees—even long-term residents—can face sudden detention in routine settings such as carpools or job sites, and that legal-response plans must contemplate criminal and civil litigation simultaneously. Immigrant-advocacy groups are pressing Congress for an independent review of the ten fatal ICE shootings recorded since the start of 2025 and for updated agency guidance on witness detention. Meanwhile, Rojas visited a roadside memorial for Salgado, telling reporters, “We were on our way to work when they took Lorenzo’s life. I want justice.” His lawyers say he will remain available to testify before any grand jury or civil panel.
Source: Associated Press
