Residents of a conservative Mississippi Gulf Coast community are urging top Republican lawmakers to act after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained two local teenagers as their school bus arrived last week. The arrests of Israel and Max Makoka are sparking outcry across Diamondhead, Mississippi, a tight-knit city where the brothers lived with a host family and attended nearby Hancock High School. Residents across Hancock County, where Donald Trump won almost 80% of the vote in the last presidential election, spread social media posts Monday night calling for the brothers’ release. Diamondhead residents have also been calling federal leaders’ offices and are circulating a petition in support of the brothers’ release. “The community is rallying behind these children,” Diamondhead Mayor Anna Liese said Tuesday. “Everyone feels for this family and they want to do whatever they can to help get these boys home.” The teenagers are from the Republic of the Congo and were studying in the U.S. on student visas, according to their family, who said the brothers were zip-tied in front of their host father and classmates on the bus. Gail and Cliff Baptiste, who have hosted the teenagers for the past few years, said they recently became the brothers’ legal guardians. They believe the brothers’ F-1 visas, which allow foreign students to study in the U.S., unknowingly fell out of legal status when they transferred from a private school in Rankin County, near Jackson, to a large public school on the Gulf Coast. Gail Baptiste said the office of Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith found her family an immigration attorney and is helping the family answer questions about the federal immigration process. “Her office definitely has made a difference,” Baptiste said.Representatives for Hyde-Smith and Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker did not immediately return messages Tuesday morning. ICE did not respond to questions Monday night but told the Mississippi Free Press “the matter is under investigation.” Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, who represents southern Mississippi in Congress, said in a statement that he is “aware of the situation involving two students who attend Hancock High School who were picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” “I know this has raised serious concerns in the community,” Ezell said. “My office is closely monitoring the situation and remains in contact with the appropriate agencies to better understand the circumstances. We will continue working to ensure that laws are enforced responsibly while also recognizing the impact these situations have on families and communities.” A spokesperson said Ezell would not comment further because the case is “an open and ongoing investigation.”This is a developing story and may be updated.