An 18-year-old Detroit high school student, Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, has been deported to Colombia after a series of events triggered by a traffic stop during a school field trip. According to a statement obtained by CBS Detroit, the teen was apprehended after failing to communicate effectively in English, which resulted in police involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection. His deportation came despite vigorous advocacy from his school community who implored U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to allow him to remain in the U.S. to complete his education. Bogoya-Duarte was reportedly only 3.5 credits short of earning a diploma from Western International High School.
The case of Bogoya-Duarte has prompted widespread local support as well as actions including petitions and public appeals to lawmakers, as reported by BridgeDetroit. Teachers, students, and community members spent more than two and a half hours speaking in support of the teen at a recent district school board meeting. Despite the mass of support, ICE has not to grant a pause on the deportation process, leading to the ultimate removal of Bogoya-Duarte from the United States.
As per a report by BridgeDetroit, thousands of people had signed a petition calling for a halt to the deportation. Attorney Ruby Robinson from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center informed the outlet that he received news of Bogoya-Duarte's deportation from the student's mother via voicemail. Efforts to reach out to ICE for comment were unsuccessful, as the information about Bogoya-Duarte was no longer available on ICE's detainee locator service.
The timeline of the events leading to the deportation began on the morning of May 20, when Bogoya-Duarte, who was driving with a City of Detroit ID card but no driver's license, was stopped by Rockwood police due to alleged tailgating, as mentioned by Hoodline. The inability to communicate led the officers to bring in federal agents. Despite pleas for a stay on the deportation to complete his high school education, ICE's Detroit office ultimately rejected the appeal. The school district expressed their distress at the situation, stating, "Maykol is part of our DPSCD family, and we are heartbroken by the fear and disruption this situation has caused his loved ones, classmates, and school community."
