An 18-year-old Roosevelt High School student, Alvaro Velasquez, was detained by ICE ahead of his graduation and has decided to return to Guatemala. According to a statement given by his superintendent Dr. Shawn Wightman to Eyewitness News, Velasquez came to the United States from Guatemala at age 16, following the death of his mother and with his father absent. Although his high school retains his diploma and gown, his path to finishing his education was suddenly halted by immigration enforcement.
Randomly picked up by ICE, with no criminal record, Velasquez was taken to a detention center in Texas where he has spent his time until now. In a virtual hearing from detention, he agreed to self-deport – "He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was in the car with his guardian, going back from the grocery store," told Pallvi Babbar, his attorney, to Eyewitness News. Velasquez had been granted the ability to stay in the country, yet the turn of events has led him to decide on voluntary departure.
His social studies teacher, Jessica Harrison, described him as an extraordinary student - one who was respectively caring, and motivated. Sharing with News 12, she recalled how during a difficult pregnancy, Velasquez looked out for her, helping with tasks so she wouldn't overexert herself. "You feel completely helpless in situations like this," she said.
Despite not being allowed to give him his graduation attire in person, Dr. Wightman met with Velasquez in Texas, expending personal vacation time and funds for the trip, emphasizing every student's right to dignity and recognition - "I felt compelled to go. Every student deserves to be treated the same, with dignity and care," he says, as per an interview with News 12. The determined superintendent is even prepared to travel to Guatemala to deliver Velasquez's diploma, which signifies a milestone that the young man was forced to miss.
The Department of Homeland Security has justified Velasquez's arrest as a move toward reinstating the rule of law, with Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin releasing a statement: "Alvaro Castro-Velasquez is an illegal alien from Guatemala who illegally crossed the southern border and was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol May 6, 2022. Castro was released into our country by the Biden administration. ICE arrested Castro June 1 pursuant to a warrant of arrest. He is in ICE custody and undergoing removal proceedings," as reported by Eyewitness News.
