Ernesto Manuel-Andres was welcomed home by the Bowling Green community after being detained for nearly three weeks by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Manuel-Andres was unexpectedly released from a detainment center in Louisiana by the Department of Homeland Security on June 24 after DHS initially appealed his $1,500 bond set by the judge but failed to meet paperwork deadlines.
The community celebrated his release at Terenga Academy, a learning center for immigrant and refugee youth, on Wednesday. Manuel-Andres was detained by ICE on June 4, just weeks after graduating from the academy.
After an emotional reunion with his friends and family, Manuel-Andres thanked the attendants of the celebration for all of the support he had received.
“Thank you for who prayed for me to get out of Louisiana,” Manuel-Andres said. “I’m happy to be at my house again in Kentucky.”
Manuel-Andres, a Guatemala native, has two documents giving him legal status in the U.S., including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Deferred Action.
Fugees Family, a refugee advocacy organization founded by Luma Mufleh, partnered with Bowling Green Independent Schools to develop Teranga Academy and has been a consistent advocate for Ernesto since his detainment.
Mufleh shared the news of Manuel-Andres’ detainment on social media on June 7 and created a GoFundMe to help pay for his bond and support his family. The GoFundMe has since gained over $30,000 in donations.
The Bowling Green community planned two vigils and multiple protests demanding the release of Manuel-Andres, even protesting outside of Rep. Brett Guthrie’s office, but was met with no comment or response from the congressman.
“People are taken out of their homes, out of the streets when they have every right to be here just like Ernesto,” Mufleh said. “You spoke up for what was right and you said not in this town, not in our community and not on our watch.”
Kristi Costellow, the principal of Teranga Academy, also traveled to Louisiana with Mufleh to pick up Manuel-Andres after his release.
“Even though the last three weeks have been difficult weeks, something that’s been so full of hope is to see how the community of Bowling Green looked at Ernesto, a resident of our community, and said he’s ours,” Costellow said. “All I can say is that I’m thankful to be in Bowling Green, Ky, where we live in a community where people will see something that’s wrong and they will keep at it until it’s made right.”
According to a statement released by Fugees Family, Manuel-Andres will remain out on bond, and his legal proceedings will continue. The organization asked for respect of the teens privacy from all media and that he will not give interviews while his case is pending.
“He is relieved to be home, but this has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic experience. Ernesto is just 18 and is understandably very overwhelmed at this time,” the statement said. “While we celebrate that he is free, it is important to remember that the case is not over.”
Mufleh reminded attendants that the fight for those like Ernesto is not over and that after a short break, Fugees Families will continue to help others illegally detained by ICE throughout the country.
“In the last 24 hours, we’ve had six people reach out to us sharing stories of family members or loved ones that have gone missing, and they don’t know what to do and want us to help,” Mufleh said. “This is bigger than Ernesto; he is symbolic of what is going on in our country, and you all are symbolic of what should be going on in our country.”
