By Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register
A Des Moines high school student was detained during a routine immigration check-in and deported fewer than two weeks later, according to a local advocacy organization.
The 18-year-old student attended a Sept. 30 appointment at the Federal Building in Des Moines with his guardian and immigrants’ rights advocates with the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice.
He was detained briefly in the Federal Building, according to IMMJ, before being taken to the Hardin County Jail, one of six county jails in Iowa that partner with the federal government to hold immigration detainees.
He was then transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana before being deported to Central America.
His guardian wasn’t able to speak with him until four days into his detainment, IMMJ says. And she didn’t hear from him again until Oct. 12, after he had already been deported.
The student’s name, his country of origin and some biographical details aren’t being released by IMMJ out of privacy concerns for him and his guardian.
“He is a good boy who has lived through some hard things,” his guardian, who was not identified, said in an IMMJ news release.
“He was working hard to learn English and do well in school, he was an important member of our family and was key to helping us survive,” she continued.
The student considered Iowa ‘home,’ advocates say
The student had been abandoned by his parents when he was a child and lived with his grandmother in his country of origin, said Elena Casillas-Hoffman, IMMJ’s spokesperson. His grandmother is elderly and was worried about her grandson’s lack of access to education in his home country as well as the power and pressure of violent criminal gangs.
She sought out his only other family members, all of whom lived in the United States, to be his guardians, Casillas-Hoffman said.
“He’s been here in Iowa for an extended period of time,” Casillas-Hoffman said. While living here, he attended school and watched his guardian’s children, allowing her to have a job, she added.
“They were emotional support to one another, but the fact that he was able to provide childcare allowed her to focus on her work and on her job,” Casillas-Hoffman said. “And, unfortunately, both due to the stress of the situation and because she’s lost the support in childcare, his guardian has since lost her job.”
After being deported, the student was dropped off three hours from the place where he would be able to stay safely, Casillas-Hoffman said. He was given no money, no resources and as far as they have been able to ascertain, no phone.
“This is a high school student who was still learning, because of lack of access to education in his own country, to read and write,” she said.
Des Moines Public Schools was made aware last month that a high school student was detained, though “the situation did not occur on or near school property,” interim superintendent Matt Smith said in a statement.
“We understand that news like this can cause concern among our students, families, and staff,” he continued. “Our schools are committed to being safe, welcoming places for every student with principals, teachers and staff who care about their well-being.”
In Iowa, immigration arrests up more than 200%
The student’s detainment happened in the shadow of former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Robert’s detention on Sept. 26, the publicity from which garnered international attention.
A native of Guyana, Roberts allegedly tried to flee from federal officials, who have said they were arresting him for not being a U.S. Citizen and lacking legal work authorization. In the wake of his detention, Roberts’ background and academic qualifications have also come under scrutiny.
Roberts, a beloved administration figure prior to the arrest, has since been charged with illegally owning guns as well as lying on his employment forms.
He pleaded not guilty and his lawyers said that Roberts believed he had been granted permission to remain in the country following a proceeding in a Texas immigration court last year. His trial is scheduled for Dec. 1.
The day before Roberts’ apprehension, Jorge Gonzalez was arrested by “plainsclothes federal agents” during the lunch rush at the Iowa City grocery store where he worked. And, this summer, Pascual Pedro, 20, was attending a regular ICE check-in when he was detained and deported to Guatemala — a case that shares similarities to the Des Moines student’s.
In Iowa, arrests by immigration officials are up by more than 200%, according to the New York Times. And local law enforcement agencies are bound by a state law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018 to comply with detainer requests or possibly lose state funding.
Additionally, the Iowa Department of Public Safety entered into an agreement to receive training from ICE, which, after completion, would allow those officers to perform some immigration enforcement actions.
Once arrested by immigration officials, detainees are often held in one of six county jails — Woodbury, Pottawattamie, Polk, Hardin, Linn or Muscatine — all of which have contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Polk County Jail, the largest county jail in the state, houses more than 40 ICE detainees daily on average, according to a research organization at Syracuse University that follows detentions. That said, the number of inmates being held for immigration violations in Des Moines can fluctuate wildly.
The recent attention paid to Roberts’ story shows how federal agents are targeting high-profile individuals, those with money and resources, Casillas-Hoffman said.
But the student’s story conveys a different side of the immigration process, one that reflects more accurately what IMMJ usually sees in their cases.
“This young man’s story is what it looks like for individuals who don’t have the money and the resources and the time,” Casillas-Hoffman said, “and, unfortunately, are desperately looking for help and aren’t getting that from our cruel and our unjust and our archaic immigration system.”
The U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement’s media department could not confirm or comment on this case or any of the advocate’s related claims without a name or date of birth.
Help sought from congressional delegation
Advocates, friends and family members are asking Iowa’s congressional delegation to help reunite the student with his guardian in Iowa.
Immediately following his detainment, his guardian and advocates went to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office in the Federal Building in Des Moines, Casillas-Hoffman said. They spoke to members of his staff about the high school student, telling them his story and asking for help in that moment. They say have heard back from the senator’s office and received “limited support.”
“There is no indication that the office or the Senator will fight for this student at this time,” Casillas-Hoffman said.
A spokesperson for Sen. Grassley confirmed their office was contacted by the student’s guardian as well as other advocates, though the spokesperson disagreed with the description of providing minimal support. The spokesperson said members of their team “corresponded with the advocates on multiple occasions.”
“As part of Senator Grassley’s commitment to assisting Iowa constituents who need help with a federal agency, the office looked into the matter,” the spokesperson said.
“This included providing specific information about the ICE office that could assist further,” the spokesperson’s continued. “Congress passes laws, and the executive branch enforces the law.”
Advocates haven’t reached out to any of the other delegates, but hope sharing the story widely will call them into action.
“We should care about any child, but we should especially care about children that have been abused, abandoned and neglected,” Casillas-Hoffman said.
“We should all advocate for humane immigration policies, but especially for children who have no other options and who are doing the best they can in a situation that is absolutely beyond their control.”
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