A protestor holds a sign as others gather at Ervan Chew Park to protest the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent actions in Houston, Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Protestors gather on the bridge near Ervan Chew Park to protest the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent actions in Houston, Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
The attorney representing the brother of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is asking a federal judge to seal her client’s court case and release him from immigration detention, saying he could face retaliation as a key witness in the fatal shooting of his brother.
Victor Salgado was a passenger in the van his brother was driving on July 7 when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado in the stomach. ICE agents detained Victor Salgado and two other passengers and transported them to an ICE detention facility in Conroe.
READ MORE: Houston man killed by ICE agent was not initial target
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Last week, attorney Ruby Powers filed a habeas corpus petition on Salgado’s behalf. The petition is a type of court filing that allows individuals to challenge the legality of their detention. Powers requested that the records in the habeas corpus case remain sealed, arguing that Salgado’s identity and whereabouts could jeopardize the investigation and place him and his family at “risk of retaliation or intimidation.”
“We filed a motion to seal a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of Victor Salgado Araujo as another legal avenue to seek his release from ICE custody,” Powers said in a statement.
“That request is intended to protect the privacy of Victor and his family and to preserve the integrity of the ongoing legal proceedings,” she added. “Given the active litigation and the significant public attention surrounding this case, we believe it is appropriate that sensitive information remain under seal while the Court considers the matter.”
Protestors gather at Ervan Chew Park to protest the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent actions in Houston, Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Witnesses detained after ICE shooting
Victor Salgado has been detained at the Montgomery ICE Processing Center in Conroe since the shooting, which is being separately investigated by the FBI, the Harris County District Attorney’s office and the Texas Rangers.
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Powers told the Chronicle last week that Salgado was ordered to appear before an immigration judge in the next few weeks where he could likely be placed in removal proceedings to deport him to Mexico.
MORE COVERAGE: Can Houston officials investigate Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death? Yes, but it would be complicated.
The habeas petition was filed to ensure Victor Salgado is able to provide eye-witness testimony and assist in his own defense, Powers said.
“Our position has not changed,” she said. “We continue to pursue every available legal remedy to secure Victor’s release, and we remain committed to ensuring that the legal process proceeds fairly and without unnecessary interference.”
Two other men, Daniel Tirado Pantoja and Jose Trinidad Rojas, were also in the van and are considered key witnesses in the case. They remain detained at the same facility.
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Powers requested that the documents in her client’s case be completely sealed, saying partial redactions would be “impractical.”
“To redact or partially seal would either leave the protected information discoverable through context and inference, or fragment the record to the point of unintelligibility,” the filing states.
Witnesses and lawmakers disputed the Department of Homeland Security’s initial explanation of Lorenzo Salgado’s death. Federal officials said Salgado failed to obey commands from ICE officers and “weaponized” his vehicle, forcing an agent to fire in self-defense.
READ MORE: How will the feds investigate the ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo — and can they be trusted?
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Witnesses in the van said that ICE officers were not in front of the vehicle and did not identify themselves.
“It’s just shockingly, a totally different story,” U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said outside the detention center on July 11 after she spoke with Salgado and Tirado. “They say that there is no time that any of the agents were in front of the van.”
A field hearing on the shooting called for by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Democrats on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is scheduled to take place in Houston this Friday.