8-Year-Old Haitian Boy Taken Into ICE Custody Alone After Check-In
An 8-year-old Haitian boy who lost Temporary Protected Status was placed in federal custody by himself after an ICE check-in in San Diego, his school district and advocates say. The third grader had been living with his uncle since his father was deported to Mexico. He now sits in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, with no clear word on whether he'll be removed from the U.S.
- Original source: abcnews.com.
- The source published it on Nov 9, 2026 at 1:25 AM.
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The boy, a third grader at Fay Elementary School in San Diego, was taken into federal custody Thursday after his uncle brought him to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement appointment. He went alone into government custody, according to the San Diego Unified School District and the Haitian Bridge Alliance. His uncle had been caring for him since the child's father was deported to Mexico more than a year ago.
The school district said the uncle showed up because he didn't want to break the law. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, SDUSD wrote that the 8-year-old received a letter to meet with an ICE agent, and that his uncle, who has raised him since the deportation, took him to that meeting. District board trustee Cody Petterson told ABC News the uncle was listed on school records as an authorized caregiver.
ICE says the uncle couldn't prove legal guardianship, so agents classified the boy as an unaccompanied child under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act — a federal law built to shield unaccompanied immigrant children. The agency did not accuse the uncle of any wrongdoing or abuse. A spokesperson said ICE decided it was best to move the child out of the household and into the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, citing an abundance of caution and the child's safety.
Haitian Bridge Alliance executive director Guerline Jozef pushed back hard. She said the father was never given a chance to set up legal guardianship before his deportation, and called the detention an excuse for ICE to remove the child and potentially put him in deportation proceedings. The school district and the advocacy group say the boy is still in ORR custody, and it is not clear whether he will be removed from the U.S.
Jozef also disputed any suggestion the boy was at risk at home. She described him as well dressed and very well cared for, adding there was no reason to take him from his relatives without proper procedures. In its letter to DHS, the district said it has watched children who should be in classrooms end up in government facilities instead. Children, it wrote, shouldn't lose access to education because of circumstances unfolding around them.
The boy lost Temporary Protected Status earlier this year, according to advocates and school officials.
TopicsICE · San Diego Unified School District · Haitian Bridge Alliance · Office of Refugee Resettlement · Department of Homeland Security · Guerline Jozef · Cody Petterson · Fay Elementary School
Source: abcnews.com
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