ICE Hold Placed on Venezuelan National Charged with Murder with Sledgehammer in Texas

HOUSTON, Texas — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston placed an immigration detainer on a Venezuelan national accused of murdering a co-worker with a sledgehammer. The incident took place in the Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, earlier this week.

A criminal complaint obtained from the Harris County District Clerk’s records shows that 19-year-old Josue Chirino, a Venezuelan citizen, is being held in the county jail without bond for felony murder. The complaint states that Chirino struck Juan Antonio Salinas Leija with a sledgehammer, causing his death.

487th District Court Judge Lori DeAngelo, appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2025,  denied bond, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers filed a detainer the following day. The case is assigned to Judge Emily DeToto (R) in the 177th District Court. He is set for a hearing on April 15 in Harris County.

KHOU CBS11 in Houston reports that decedent Salinas was working as a carpenter when he was found dead inside a home in Spring on Sunday morning. He had been missing since Friday afternoon. The family found him when they went to the house to check on him and called 911.

Investigators told KHOU that Salinas suffered severe trauma to his upper torso, head, and neck. The victim’s truck was missing. Police later recovered the vehicle in Pasadena, Texas.

Police found four people inside the truck, including Chirino, who is now charged with the murder of Salinas. He was reportedly with Salinas on the day of the murder.

KHOU reported:

“From my experience and what I’ve seen in there, this definitely does not look like a natural death, doesn’t look like something that would happen, you know, from a fall if he fell while he was working,” said Sgt. Michael Ritchie with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “I’m not going to go into detail about the injuries, but the injuries are too severe.”

Breitbart Texas contacted ICE officials for additional information on Chirino’s immigration status and history. A response was not received by press time.

The arrest comes days after the Houston City Council voted to restrict the Houston Police Department’s ability to detain individuals with ICE detainers during traffic stops, Breitbart Texas reported. The State of Texas quickly threatened to revoke $110 million in state law enforcement grants. The Harris County Commissioners’ Court is reportedly considering a similar action. Actions like this could violate Texas’s tough anti-sanctuary city legislation. The Texas Attorney General is investigating the city’s action.