Salgado and Tirado told U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, that the agents were not standing in the path of the van, and that agents never identified themselves after exiting unmarked vehicles.

 It's just shockingly, a totally different story,  Garcia said outside the ICE processing center after she visited Salgado and Rojas Saturday.

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A memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican citizen who was shot and killed in Houston's Magnolia Park, sits on Canal Street on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle

Powers said that under normal circumstances, preparing for an immigration hearing is a labor-intensive endeavor. But Salgado's situation as a witness presents a bigger challenge, in part because he is being detained.

 I had to print off photos that I found from the crime scene to be able to show him while I was (visiting him) in detention,  she said.  This is unheard of if you are a key witness. 

Powers said her office is considering a host of options to have her client released, including asking ICE to parole Salgado, and filing a habeas corpus petition in federal court.

READ MORE: Sylvia Garcia visits detained witnesses who dispute ICE's account of deadly Houston shooting

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 I want to be an optimist at heart and think that there might be a way for us to get a release before (the hearing),  she said.  These individuals are witnesses, and so they're having to focus simultaneously on trying to be available as witnesses for various investigations, and at the same time care about their livelihood in the United States.