Judge Orders Release of Witness from ICE Operation Where Mexican Died in Texas
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
HOUSTON – A federal judge has ordered the release of José Trinidad Rojas Pliego, one of the witnesses in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation related to the death of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7 in Houston. The ruling mandates that federal authorities must release him within 48 hours, return his personal belongings, and notify his attorneys in advance of the time and place of his release. Additionally, if the government seeks to detain him again while his immigration proceedings are ongoing, it must demonstrate to an immigration judge that he poses a flight risk or a danger to the community. According to court documents, Rojas Pliego was detained on the same day as the operation after ICE agents intercepted the vehicle he was traveling in on his way to work. During that incident, agents fired at the vehicle carrying Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who died following the shooting. The court ruling states that Rojas Pliego has lived in the United States since 1998 and has no criminal record. The judge concluded that keeping him in custody without an individual assessment of whether he poses a flight risk or a danger to the community violates the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment. The order was issued days after the same judge temporarily suspended Rojas Pliego's deportation while reviewing his habeas corpus petition.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
