Federal judge orders the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to halt the deportation of Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego.

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop the deportation of Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a key witness in a fatal shooting involving federal immigration agents. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison issued the directive after Rojas Pliego, a Mexican citizen with no criminal record, filed a petition for release from detention. The order stipulates that Rojas Pliego must remain within the Southern District of Texas while his petition is pending. He was a passenger in a van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo when the fatal encounter occurred on July 7. While the administration announced that the agency will comply with the ruling, the witnesses have disputed the official account of the shooting. Rojas Pliego has lived in the United States since 1998 and is in a common-law marriage with a U.S. citizen. Two other passengers from the van have also filed petitions for release. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is currently assisting the three passengers in applying for special visas for their role in the investigation.

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