ICE detains Alabama teen in US since childhood after high school graduation: ‘He is deeply missed’

yahoo.com · By Patrick Darrington · 2026-08-05T15:41:36Z

A 19-year-old is currently in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention facing deportation just a few months after graduating from high school in north Alabama.According to a GoFundMe for the teenager, Juan Quim, came to America from Guatemala at the age of 10 with his parents where they created a life in Russellville which has the largest concentration of Latino residents in the state."Since arriving in Russellville at ten years old, Juan has become a valued member of our community," the GoFundMe description states."He has been an active member of his church, faithfully volunteering his time to serve others. He graduated with honors from Russellville High School, excelled in the school's welding program, earned several awards, and worked at a local restaurant. He is known and loved by many friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, and neighbors. Most importantly, he is deeply missed by his parents and his two siblings."But on July 29 Quim was pulled over in Littleville for a traffic offense before being moved into ICE custody as part of a 287g transfer.According to the Department of Homeland Security, Quim is undocumented and "has an outstanding final order of removal over three years old due to his failure to appear to his immigration hearings."The American Immigration Council states that many immigrants miss immigration court proceedings for several different reasons including failure of notice, transportation issues, language barriers or administrative errors.This is often amplified for individuals who lack legal counsel or are children.According to the ICE detainee locator as of Tuesday, Quim is being held at a facility in Natchez, Mississippi en route to one of the detention centers in Louisiana.Quim is one of the latest cases of a teenager detained by ICE in Alabama as federal and state law enforcement collaborate to enforce President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda.In December, Elder Chavez-Carranza, 18, was detained by ICE in Albertville and remains in custody as community members fight for his release so he can return to his loved ones and continue his high school education.Although Trump asserted his administration would target the "worst of the worst" data has indicated that about 71% of current ICE detainees have no criminal convictions.The GoFundMe to help with Quim's legal expenses has already raised over $8,000."Every donation, no matter the amount, will help ease the financial burden as Juan and his family navigate the legal process," the fundraiser reads.Read the original article on al.com. Add al.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.