HOUSTON \u2013 Jos\u00e9 Trinidad Rojas Pliego is set to be released from the Montgomery Processing Center at any moment, according to his family\u2019s attorney. Rojas Pliego was inside a van in Magnolia Park when ICE agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7. ICE was given 48 hours by a federal judge to release him. <\/p>\n
Attorney Raed Gonzalez said Rojas Pliego has no criminal record and that this was his first interaction with federal agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis family is traumatized as well. They saw the videos of (Lorenzo Salgado Araujo) dying on the floor, and suddenly their father, their husband, breadwinner is detained,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cCertainly looking forward to this reunification.\u201d<\/p>\n
A federal judge ordered ICE to release Rojas Pliego and to give his attorney at least three hours\u2019 notice before that happens. Rojas Pliego can be released outside the Montgomery ICE Processing Center or in a public space.<\/p>\n
Rojas Pliego applied for a U-visa, and the judge noted his case could take years to be resolved.<\/p>\n
Concerns about being detained by ICE remains<\/p>\n
The possibility of being detained again remains a real concern for Rojas Pliego and his legal team. Gonzalez pointed to a pattern he said has affected even U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been cases of U.S. citizens being detained three times, and the government continues to arrest them,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cThe judge asked the government… to provide a hearing in the case they want to re-arrest him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other witnesses still waiting<\/p>\n
The two other men who were in the van with Salgado Araujo have not been given release orders, though their attorneys have petitioned on their behalf. Gonzalez said the disparity is not uncommon, as release decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by individual judges.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez also noted that bond hearings are no longer a requirement, a change that directly affects those detained by ICE at this Montgomery county facility.<\/p>\n
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