The arrest of two teenagers in Saint Anthony during a federal operation has generated concern among community organizations and immigration advocates.
According to NBC News and the Texas Immigration Coalition, the minors, Manuel, 16, and his cousin Luis, 15, ended up in custody after accidentally coinciding with a police intervention in the northern part of the city, while they were making a regular outing to buy food.
An operation that spread fear among minors who grew up in the United States.
According to FOX San Antonio, the boys were accompanied by Manuel’s older brother, 20, when agents from the FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surrounded the area as part of a larger operation.
The terrified teenagers hid under a nearby bridge and called home saying they didn’t know if they would see their families again.
The mothers, quoted by FOX San Antonio, explained that their children grew up in San Antonio after both families fled Honduras years ago due to gang violence. They now fear that the minors could be sent to a country they do not know. One of the mothers said that her son was crying on the phone, repeating that she did not know if they would meet again.
What the law says and what they could face now
According to statements offered to FOX San Antonio by the immigration attorney Erinaldy Augustthe teenagers will likely be transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), as is the case in most cases where minors are taken into federal custody.
Agosto warned that the process for a family member to claim a minor can take more than six months, and now represents a high risk for undocumented relatives, since the agency must share their information with ICE.
According to the lawyer, even people with work permits or active immigration cases are being detained during recent operations, increasing uncertainty for entire families.
The young people remain detained while there is no official information about the raid
According to reports from FOX San Antonio and NBC New York, at the time of writing the two teenagers remain in federal custody while their families seek legal representation. Authorities have not yet revealed how many people were detained or the specific reasons for the overnight operation that ended with minors raised in the United States under arrest.