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Judge orders immigration officials to release key witness in Texas ICE shooting

Judge Keith P. Ellison said the witness’s detention violates due process and ordered his release while the shooting investigation remains active.

  • On Monday, Federal Judge Keith Ellison ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego from custody within 48 hours. Pliego is a key witness to the July 7 fatal shooting of driver Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
  • The Department of Homeland Security claimed the July 7 shooting was self-defense, alleging Salgado Araujo "weaponized his vehicle." However, Rojas Pliego and other witnesses disputed this account, stating officers were positioned at the sides of the van.
  • Ellison ruled that applying mandatory detention to Pliego without considering his individual circumstances violates his Fifth Amendment due process rights. The order notes Pliego has lived continuously in the United States for nearly 30 years.
  • Lawmakers and local officials have criticized ICE over transparency and the lack of body-worn cameras during the incident. District Attorney Sean Teare testified that federal agencies hampered his office's ability to obtain evidence for the active investigation.
  • ICE must return Pliego's personal property by July 30 and comply with the release order. Any future detention attempt requires a hearing where the government must prove he poses a flight risk or danger to the community.
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Lean Right

He knows why a judge ordered the release of the key witness of the ICE shooting in Texas and what impact the ruling has on his immigration process.

·Vicente López, Argentina
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Lean Left

The court found that his detention violated due process while the investigation of the case continues.

·Los Angeles, United States
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Lean Left

Judge orders immigration officials to release key witness in Texas ICE shooting

A federal judge has ordered U.S. immigration authorities to release a key witness in the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder by a U.S.

·New York, United States
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¡Que Onda Magazine! broke the news on Monday, July 27, 2026.
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