Texas Court Orders Release of Witness to Lorenzo Salgado’s Death

Federal Judge Alfred H. Bennett ordered on August 25, 2026 the release of Daniel Tirado Pantoja, a witness to the death of Mexican migrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Tirado Pantoja must be released from the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas within the next 48 hours. The order responds to a habeas corpus petition filed by his attorneys, after nearly 50 days of detention without a prior hearing.

Tirado Pantoja was traveling in Salgado Araujo’s van on July 7, 2026, when an agent from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, known as ICE, shot and killed the driver in the Magnolia Park neighborhood of Houston. None of the passengers were targets of that morning’s immigration operation.

What Did the Judge Order Regarding Lorenzo Salgado’s Witness?

The document demands the «immediate» release of Daniel Tirado Pantoja within a maximum of 48 hours. The order characterizes the detention as «illegal» and requires that Tirado Pantoja be released at a public location in the Southern District of Texas. Additionally, it establishes that his attorneys or family members must receive notice 3 hours before the exact time and place of his release, according to the court document.

The judge also required the government to present the court with an updated report on the release within the following 72 hours. Tirado Pantoja remained detained at the Montgomery Processing Center, located in Conroe, Texas, as confirmed by the Houston Chronicle.

The ruling was based on a habeas corpus petition. This legal mechanism allows a detained person to be brought before a judge, so that the judge can determine whether the arrest complies with the law.

Who is Daniel Tirado Pantoja and Why Was He Detained?

Daniel Tirado Pantoja is a Mexican immigrant who has resided in the United States since 1996. He has no criminal record, according to available judicial information.

On July 7, 2026, Tirado Pantoja was traveling in the back seat of the van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Both were heading to a construction site where they would work that morning.

Unidentified ICE agents pursued the vehicle to Canal Street in the Hispanic neighborhood of Magnolia Park in Houston. During that operation, an agent shot and killed Salgado Araujo, according to Houston Public Media.

Following the shooting, ICE detained the 3 remaining passengers in the van. Along with Tirado Pantoja, José Trinidad Rojas Pliego, 51 years old, and Víctor Hugo Salgado Araujo, 44 years old, the deceased man’s brother, were transported.

None of the 4 men were being sought by ICE during that immigration operation, according to the Department of Homeland Security, known as DHS. However, the 3 survivors became material witnesses—that is, people with direct information about the sequence of events prior to the shooting.

What Does the Law Establish Regarding the Detention of Migrant Witnesses?

The habeas corpus petition is protected by the U.S. Constitution. It allows one to challenge before a federal judge whether a detention complies with due process guarantees.

In this case, the judge determined that Tirado Pantoja’s detention violated the guarantees of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This amendment protects the right of every person not to be deprived of liberty without due legal process.

Raed González, one of Tirado Pantoja’s attorneys, explained to EL PAÍS that the government cannot detain his client again while his immigration proceedings continue. According to González, «they cannot re-detain him while his removal proceedings continue without a prior hearing where the Government would have to demonstrate again that he does not represent a flight risk or danger to the community.»

While free, Tirado Pantoja will continue 2 parallel immigration proceedings. The first is his application for a U visa, an immigration benefit available to victims or witnesses of certain crimes. The second