Geremy Arteaga Cruz, a 19-year-old student at Lamar High School, is still in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after federal officials reversed an asylum approval that his lawyers say had already been granted. The about-face has kicked his case back into immigration court, and he is now scheduled to appear before a judge on June 23.
According to his attorneys, the Houston asylum office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved Arteaga Cruz’s application in June 2025 but never followed up with a formal written decision. That missing notice, his legal team argues, left him exposed to detention and set the stage for his current predicament, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
In January, Arteaga Cruz was arrested on a misdemeanor public-intoxication charge at a convenience store. After he pleaded guilty, he was transferred from the Harris County Jail to ICE custody. Municipal court records show he paid a $193 fine and received credit for time served, yet he has remained at the Polk Adult Detention Facility in Livingston since January, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Court moves and a new hearing
At a recent hearing, Arteaga Cruz’s attorneys pulled back a motion to terminate his deportation case so they could keep the option to have his asylum claim fully heard in immigration court. Immigration Judge Billy Sapp did not issue a ruling at that time. The case is now set to be transferred to an immigration judge, and his next appearance is scheduled for June 23, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Legal status and the T visa
On top of the asylum fight, Arteaga Cruz also has a pending T visa application that was filed in June 2025. T visas can offer temporary permission to live and work in the United States for certain victims of human trafficking who assist law enforcement. His legal team says the missing asylum notice has had serious consequences for his status and strategy, and they are pursuing additional legal options while he remains in custody, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
What this means for HISD
Advocates and students say detentions like Arteaga Cruz’s have fueled fear across Houston, triggering walkouts, “sickouts,” and community protests, and leaving some families wary of sending kids back to school at all. Local reporting and organizers have tracked steep enrollment drops among immigrant students in Houston ISD and across the region, and community groups warn that those losses could shrink programs and funding for newcomer services, according to Houston Press.
