A federal judge made a big call this week. He said ICE can't send a witness out of the country. That witness saw an ICE agent shoot and kill Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston.

Judge Keith Ellison signed the order Monday. He stopped ICE from deporting Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego. The judge also said ICE can't move him out of South Texas. Not without asking the court first.

This ruling matters a lot. Rojas Pliego was riding in the work van. He was there when ICE agents shot Salgado Araujo. His story could help show what really happened. South Texas families deal with ICE and Border Patrol all the time. This case tests how much power the government has over witnesses.

ICE agents shot and killed Salgado Araujo on July 7. It happened in Houston's East End, near Canal Street. He was driving a work van. Three coworkers rode with him.

ICE says the agent shot in self defense. The agency claims Salgado Araujo "weaponized his work van." That happened during a traffic stop. ICE says agents were looking for a different person that day, not him. ICE also says Salgado Araujo did not have papers to be in the country.

Salgado Araujo's family does not believe ICE's story. They want an outside group to check the case. An FBI report said there was meth in the van. Harris County's top prosecutor disputes that claim.

Houston has mourned Salgado Araujo and called for justice since the shooting. Many in the East End know him or his family. The East End is a longtime Mexican-American community near downtown Houston.

Rojas Pliego has lived in the U.S. since 1998. He has no criminal record. He is married, common law style, to a U.S. citizen. He has three kids and four stepkids. Every one of them is a U.S. citizen.

ICE has held Rojas Pliego in Conroe since July 7. That is the ICE jail there. It is the same day agents shot Salgado Araujo.

Rojas Pliego's lawyer filed a court paper called a habeas petition. That paper asks a judge to check if someone is being held the right way. It said Rojas Pliego is "neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community."

Lawyer Nisreen Mousa spoke about the win. "We are pleased with the Stay grant," she said. "The judge has made the right decision following the law." Mousa said Rojas Pliego and the other riders are key witnesses.

Two more riders from the van filed the same kind of court paper. One is Daniel Tirado Pantoja. He has lived here since 1996 with no record. The other is Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo. He sat up front. His lawyer asked the court to keep his case sealed. That is to keep him safe.

Harris County DA Sean Teare wants special visas for all three riders. These visas can stop police from deporting crime victims who help with a case. Teare said he is "more than prepared" to charge ICE agents. That is, if proof shows they broke the law.

Salgado Araujo lived in Houston for almost 35 years. He built the house his family lived in. He worked in construction. He raised three sons. Mourners gathered at his funeral. People called him a hero of the East End.

The case is still open. Rojas Pliego stays in the Conroe jail for now. His court case is still moving. It is not clear yet if the ICE agent who fired the shot will face charges.