U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement detained Emerson Colindres, a 19-year-old Cincinnati Public Schools graduate and has been transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, this was confirmed by those close to him. WLWT reported that after being moved from the Butler County Jail, where he had been held since June 4, sheriff's officials confirmed Colindres was transported to a Michigan airport en route to the ICE Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana. According to a WLWT interview with his soccer coach, the family had spoken to Colindres a few hours prior to his transfer.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office, under Sheriff Richard Jones, informed WLWT that they typically transport detainees to Ohio airports, but Colindres was taken to Michigan. Indeed, the sheriff's office holds 411 ICE detainees. The move prompted friends and family to protest outside of the jail on the preceding Monday, calling for his release, where dozens gathered in support of Colindres. "He was dedicated, he was driven. This wasn't a student without goals or motives, this was a student who put his heart and soul into moving himself in a positive forward direction," said Sarah Madrigal, a social worker with CPS, in a statement obtained by WLWT.
The Enquirer also updated their report, disclosing that Colindres called his mother from the facility in Louisiana, telling her that a flight back to Honduras was scheduled in a few days. ICE did not notify the family and their legal representation about the transfer, which, according to The Enquirer, is a departure from protocol. Sheriff Richard Jones had previously told Enquirer media partner FOX19 of the details regarding Colindres's transportation to the airport for purported deportation.
As confirmed by WCPO 9, Colindres's mother reported that her son informed her about his relocation the day after it occurred. Before his abrupt move to Louisiana, supporters had rallied at Butler County Jail, signaling a communal plea for the young man's freedom, "Colindres' mother said her son called her on Tuesday and told her he was being held at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center." Colindres' mother told WCPO 9. The sudden and discreet transfer of Colindres by ICE marks another instance of the broad discretionary power the agency holds over individuals' lives in its custody.
