SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A Colombian man belonging to a protected class was detained by ICE while leaving immigration court. His case had been dismissed minutes before his detention, and he has no criminal record.Kevin Alexander Ortiz Barros, 21, entered the United States as a minor. He was detained by Border Patrol agents upon entry before being released on his own recognizance. He then entered the immigration proceedings process.“They gave him what is known as an alien number and told him to be prepared because he was going to have to litigate his case,” said Adam Crayk, the lawyer now representing Barros.Barros’ first court date in more than two and a half years was on Jan. 20. While awaiting his day in immigration court, Barros applied for and was approved for Special Immigration Juvenile Status.Crayk explained that this is a protected-class designation that must be approved by a Utah judge outside of immigration court.It is granted to people who crossed the border as minors and can prove they were abandoned, neglected, or abused as a child and were fleeing their country for safety.MORE | Immigration Enforcement:Salt Lake Mayor raises red flags over potential ICE use of industrial buildingDHS offers $2,600 exit bonus for illegal immigrants to self-deportICE memo tells agents to enter homes without judge's warrant, whistleblower group says“In order to get that, you have to prove to a Utah judge, not an immigration judge, a Utah judge, that you’ve been the victim of abuse or the victim of abandonment or the victim of neglect. A Utah judge in the juvenile district court here determined that he qualified and met that standard,” said Crayk.Once this designation was approved, Barros became eligible for a green card and was waiting for his case to move forward. Because of this, during Tuesday’s hearing, his prior immigration case was dismissed by a judge.Crayk explained that the dismissal of an immigration case typically indicates the government is no longer seeking to remove an individual.As Barros was leaving his hearing, ICE agents detained him while he was still inside the courthouse.“For us it’s alarming because there have been arrests [in court] before, but typically that’s because someone has an open warrant,” said Crayk. “This young man was actively engaged in showing up to court doing the things that he was asked to do.”Crayk explained that once the case was dismissed, it left the judicial process. Because Barros does not yet have his green card and was no longer in active immigration proceedings, ICE then had jurisdiction to detain him and place him into expedited removal proceedings, despite his Special Immigration Juvenile Status designation.“The real strategy behind what was done was to take him from what is commonly known as removal proceedings and then they transition him into what is known as expedited removal, which then keeps him in custody,” said Crayk.During his immigration proceeding, Barros petitioned the judge not to dismiss the case out of fear ICE would detain him in the window between dismissal and when he received his green card. Crayk explained that this process can take years due to backlogs in the immigration system.“What people also don’t know is that prior to the current administration, we had approximately 60,000 people in immigration proceedings already facing deportation consequences,” said Crayk. “So to say that we were ramping up or we were going to do this mass deportation effort, all that does is put more people into deportation proceedings.”Kevin Alexander Ortiz Barros and his girlfriend, Jillian Nelson. Barros was detained in a Salt Lake County courthouse after a judge dismissed his immigration case. (Photo: Jillian Nelson)Crayk said arrests like this have a chilling effect on others who are following court orders and attending their immigration appointments.“Why would I go to court? They’re going to arrest me anyways. I don’t have the ability to show up to that building and argue my position,” questioned Crayk. “But, I’m telling you that cannot be the mentality.”Barros’s girlfriend, Jillian Nelson, described him as “kind, gentle, the perfect person.”She said Barros went through a lot as a child, which led to his Special Immigration Juvenile Status.“He was abandoned in his childhood. Now, I feel like he’s been abandoned trying to make a better life for himself, trying to provide for himself, truly trying to make his community better, trying to make everyone around him better,” said Nelson. “This is what his community does for him. This is what they do for him.”Nelson said Barros was incredibly trusting and believed that because he was following the proper legal process to remain in the United States, this would not happen to him.“He trusted that, after hearing for months that ‘we’re going after criminals, the worst of the worst,’ he didn’t fit that,” said Nelson. “He was 100% confident. He thought he was on the path to getting his green card.”Nelson said she was able to speak with him briefly while he was being detained. He has also spoken with his roommate and his lawyer. She said they believe he is currently in Evanston, Wyoming, though ICE was unable to confirm his location to her.2News also contacted ICE, which said Barros was in transit and they could not disclose his destination.Nelson said she is trying to stay focused on sharing Barros’ story and speaking out on his behalf, but said she is “heartbroken.”“It honestly makes me embarrassed to be an American. I know that is harsh,” said Nelson. “But, this is the way they’ve treated someone who has done nothing wrong? It’s embarrassing.”2News reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement via email and phone to confirm the details of Barros’s arrest, including why he was detained. 2News also asked whether ICE is conducting enforcement operations at courthouses in Utah and whether individuals with approved Special Immigration Juvenile Status are subject to arrest.ICE did not respond to requests for comment.Crayk said they plan to appeal the immigration judge’s motion to dismiss Barros’ case, which would place him back into deportation proceedings.Nelson started a fundraising account to support Kevin’s legal fees.__