A federal judge in Texas has issued a temporary order preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from deporting Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a witness in the fatal shooting of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. The shooting occurred on July 7, 2026, in Houston, Texas, when an ICE officer shot Salgado Araujo during a traffic stop.

District Judge Keith Ellison's order, issued on Monday, also prohibits ICE from transferring Rojas Pliego out of the Southern District of Texas without prior approval from the court. Rojas Pliego, who is currently facing deportation proceedings, was one of three construction workers inside the work van Salgado Araujo was driving at the time of the shooting. Another witness in ICE custody is Salgado Araujo's brother.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, stated that the agent involved acted in self-defense, claiming Salgado Araujo weaponized his work van during the stop. DHS acknowledged that ICE agents were searching for a different individual when they stopped Salgado Araujo's vehicle.

Ruby Powers, an attorney representing Salgado Araujo's brother, disputed allegations that methamphetamine was found in the van, stating the material was likely salt used in a homemade electrolyte mix to cope with the summer heat.

The shooting has intensified national discussions about immigration enforcement policies, especially following a similar fatal shooting of a Colombian immigrant by an ICE agent in Maine less than a week later.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News Immigration Correspondent, reported on the developments, highlighting the ongoing legal and political ramifications.

Sources