Project SummaryUnder President Donald Trump’s renewed administration, Texas has emerged as a key frontline in the push for aggressive immigration enforcement and widespread deportations. Texas residents – regardless of immigration status – feel the ripple effects in the economy, schools, healthcare systems, courts and public safety services. To better understand these challenges, KXAN launched “Undocumented,” an ongoing project diving into the real-life consequences of related policies and proposals.AUSTIN (KXAN) – An Austin Independent School District high school senior was detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement while driving home from his job at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen early Friday, according to his family and others familiar with the situation.Luis Fernando Cabrera Chavarria, 18, is a senior and the goalie on the varsity soccer team at Northeast Early College High School. Cabrera Chavarria was set to graduate in June, according to his sister and soccer coach. Government records show he is now being held at Karnes County Immigration Processing Center.“Luis is a sweet, caring young man,” Northeast ECHS Coach Kyle Olson told KXAN. “It’s unfortunate timing for all of it. It’s an opportunity that he had, that he has been working toward for four years, to celebrate with his peers. We are still hopeful that he will be afforded the opportunity to do so.”According to Texas Department of Public Safety officials, Cabrera Chavarria was stopped on I-35 by a DPS trooper around 2 a.m. Friday over an alleged expired vehicle registration violation. The teen had just finished a night shift at the fast-food chain on Cameron Road prior to the traffic stop, according to Cabrera’s older sister, who says she has since spoken to him over the phone. Federal judge weighs citizenship of Austin man deported to Mexico after traffic stop DPS officials said the trooper was unable to verify Cabrera Chavarria’s identity through its database, determined the teen was not lawfully in the U.S. and then contacted ICE. The agency told KXAN the trooper who made the stop is a federally certified immigration officer under the agency’s 287(g) agreement, which allows trained local and state officers to enforce federal immigration laws during their routine duties in the field.“Cabrera Chavarria was encountered by officers, and he freely admitted to having no legal basis or documentation to remain in the U.S,” ICE officials said in a statement to KXAN. “He entered illegally on July 28, 2019, as a family unit and will remain in ICE custody pending completion of his immigration proceedings.”Chavarria’s sister told KXAN she and her brother were born in Honduras and came to the U.S. from Mexico through Eagle Pass in 2019, where they were stopped by immigration officials and claimed asylum. She also said the teen helps pay the rent and other bills for their family.“Fernando is a good person. He is dedicated to school, playing [soccer] and working,” his sister, who asked not to be identified by name, said. “He would wake up and take his nephew to daycare and then go to school.”Northeast ECHS students and Chavarria’s family gathered near the campus on Thursday after school to advocate for the teen’s release. Attorney and advocate James “Jim” Harrington, who founded the Texas Civil Rights Project, also joined the demonstrators. Harrington told the crowd he’s known Chavarria for several years.“This is cruel, and it doesn’t make any sense,” Harrington said. “You see them pick up a kid like this with all that promise and all that hope and that big heart he has. It breaks your heart to see that happen.” Body camera shows federal agent arrest undocumented parent near Austin school Austin ISD officials told KXAN they are aware of the report that a student was detained by federal immigration officials, but said that because the incident happened off campus, they were limited in the information they could confirm or provide.ICE data shows, as of March 2026, most people detained inside Karnes County Immigration Processing Center, where Cabrera Chavarria is currently being held, do not have criminal histories. The latest data available shows, as of March 10, there were nearly 1,000 people detained in Karnes – 47 of whom are convicted criminals.From February 2025 to March 2026, ICE data shows there have been 911 non-custodial arrests in the Austin area of individuals who were detained over minor offenses and traffic violations and do not have other criminal histories or pending charges. The ICE data was provided to the Deportation Data Project as part of a Freedom of Information Act request and analyzed by KXAN.KXAN Investigative Photojournalist Richie Bowes, Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle, Investigative Producer Dalton Huey, and KXAN+ Digital Anchor and Reporter Esme Zamora contributed to this report.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.