A Detroit high school student was arrested during a traffic stop and is facing potential deportation, sparking widespread calls for the teenager's release.
The individual was identified as an 18-year-old Colombian immigrant who was on his way to a high school field trip before being stopped by police for a traffic violation. An attorney representing the teenager said it highlights the rising number of local police quickly calling Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials for assistance.
Detroit High School Student Faces Deportation
Additionally, the case highlights how the federal agency is conducting more detention of immigrations and holding them for longer periods before handing them over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The teenager, identified as Maykol Bogoya Duarte, is a student at Detroit's International Western High. He was previously denied asylum last year and was in the process of getting a passport so he could go back to Columbia, according to The Detroit News.
Attorney Ruby Robinson, with the non-profit Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said that the 18-year-old has been in the United States since 2022. Duarte was driving a private vehicle on May 20, to attend a school field trip when a Rockwood police officer stopped him for tailgating.
The officer was driving an unmarked patrol car during the incident, which revealed that the teenager did not have a driver's license. The officer quickly called CBP because of a "language barrier" with the 18-year-old.
After his arrest, Duarte has been kept in an Upper Peninsula immigration detention facility and is facing imminent deportation to Columbia. Robinson said they are asking that the teenager be allowed to finish his studies before being kicked out of the country, MLive reported.
Applying for Asylum
The teenager is believed to have moved to the country after he and his mother applied for asylum, which was denied by a judge. Federal officials released a statement about the incident, noting the 18-year-old was in the country illegally, ignored a judge's removal order, and lost his appeal.
Duarte's school is the largest high school in Southwest Detroit and has a newcomer program. It provides academic and social support to families who have recently arrived in the United States, with more than half of students being English language learners.
The arrest of the teenager somehow shows the limits of what school districts are able to do to protect their students from immigration enforcement. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said that the Detroit Public Schools Community District did not notify students or families of the teen's arrest, as per Chalkbeat.
