AUSTIN, Texas — Twenty days of detention by federal authorities came to an end last week when Austin high school senior Luis Fernando Cabrera was released to his family just weeks before graduation. “It feels awesome to be with my friends and family again,” Cabrera said in Spanish in an interview with Capital Tonight. “And I’m also thankful for all the support I had from the beginning.” The 18-year-old was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) following a traffic stop earlier this month. Cabrera was on his way home from a closing shift at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen when he was pulled over for an expired vehicle registration and then taken to the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center. Speaking outside his church during a celebration for his return on Sunday, Cabrera said there were times he doubted whether he would return to Austin. “It wasn't easy. I thought they were going to deport me,” he said. “I'd never been locked up before. I'd never had handcuffs on me, on my feet and on my hands. I don't know, I think a little bit longer, and I might have gone into a depression.” He also said the conditions at the detention center were inadequate for housing people for long periods of time. “The food is something that can't sustain a person inside. The times when they feed you are also not ideal for when one should eat,” he said. “And the hygiene… they give you used clothing and well, that's not adequate for a person who isn't a criminal.” Cabrera, who was born in Mexico to Honduran parents, came to the United States without authorization when he was 11. His parents say they fled political violence in their home country after being threatened by a legislator there, and Cabrera has a pending asylum case dating back to 2019. But when Cabrera was pulled over for a traffic stop, a state trooper turned him over to ICE, which pledged to detain him until his case was processed. Cabrera's release came after a federal judge ordered that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) release him on or before May 22. The teenager took his final exams from detention and missed the senior prom, according to his lawyer, Jim Harrington. Cabrera is soft-spoken and lanky, with jet black hair and a warm smile. He said he missed his sister and 2-year-old nephew, who he helps support. He sings in the church choir and plays goalie for his high school soccer team. Moving forward, he said he wants to don his sky blue robes and walk on stage to receive his diploma at his graduation this week, study accounting at Austin Community College and maybe some day go to the University of Texas at Austin. “You have a kid that comes into the country, and he does everything he's supposed to do,” Harrington said. “He's a star soccer player, he's doing really, really good in school. Everything that you want somebody to do, he's doing.” In a statement to Capital Tonight on Thursday, a DHS spokesperson said Cabrera “will receive full due process.” Cabrera’s classmates at Northeast Early College High School, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, and members of the Austin community — including fans at an Austin FC game — rallied for Cabrera's release. Shortly after the judge ordered Cabrera's release, Casar took to social media to share the news. “Speaking out for the rights of our neighbors matters, and this is proof,” Casar said on X.