Tuesday marked two weeks since Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, was shot and killed during an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood.
On Tuesday, the judge issued the ruling for Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, a passenger in Salgado Araujo's van at the time of the shooting on July 7, after his attorney filed a petition asking for his release, court documents revealed.
According to court documents, the order said Rojas Pliego cannot be deported or transferred to an ICE facility outside the Southern District of Texas, while the petition is pending, without the court's permission.
Rojas Pliego's attorney sent a statement that read in part:
"We are pleased with the Stay grant. The judge has made the right decision following the law, our clients are cooperating with the authorities and we trust that they will be released soon and reunited with their families after this traumatic ordeal."
Rojas Pliego has been in ICE custody since the fatal ICE shooting on Canal Street.
DHS claims Salgado Araujo was evading arrest and allegedly rammed his van into an ICE vehicle. No video evidence has been released showing the incident and DHS says the agents involved were not wearing body cameras.
Rojas Pliego is currently detained at the Montgomery ICE Processing Center in Conroe. According to the petition for his release, he is described as a Mexican citizen who has lived in the United States since 1998 and has no criminal record.
The filing also says he's in a common-law marriage with a U.S. citizen, and they share three children and four stepchildren together, all of whom are U.S. citizens as well.
The other passengers in the van have filed similar petitions asking to be released from ICE detention.
According to the petition for release for Daniel Tirado Pantoja, attorneys claim he came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1996 and has no criminal history.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Salgado Araujo attempted to run over an ICE agent with a work van before he was shot. His family disputes that account, saying he was driving his construction crew to a job site when the shooting occurred.
The case sparked tense moments during Tuesday's Houston City Council meeting, where demonstrators interrupted proceedings to demand justice for Salgado Araujo and criticize city leaders for what they described as a lack of action. The disruption forced the meeting into recess as officers prepared to make arrests.
"We're not resting until justice happens," protester Indira Zaldivar said during the public hearing.
Vivek Venkatraman of Stand Up Houston argued City Hall should remain open to public demonstrations, saying, "This is the people's City Hall."
Whitmire defended the city's handling of the protests, saying Houston police showed restraint. He also characterized the demonstration as politically motivated, accusing organizers of attempting to politicize the tragedy.
Last week, Whitmire requested that the Texas Rangers conduct an independent investigation into the shooting. The state agency agreed to take the case.
The mayor said the city has limited authority because the incident involves federal immigration agents.
"We don't control the witnesses, we don't control detention," Whitmire said. "I was glad a federal judge said don't deport them."
The mayor was referring to a federal court order made public Tuesday involving Rojas Pliego.
Immigration attorney Nisreen S. Mousa said the ruling protects the legal process while the case remains under review.
"They are key witnesses," Mousa said. "What the judge did is protect the integrity of the Constitution."
Mousa said she does not expect any of the witnesses in the shooting investigation to be deported while legal proceedings continue.