HAMILTON, Ohio — A recent Cincinnati high school graduate facing deportation to Honduras is no longer listed as an inmate in the Butler County Jail.
Emerson Colindres' mother said he called from inside and told her officials warned him ICE would be removing him from the jail Monday evening. Protestors gathered in support of the 19-year-old at the jail on Monday night.
We have reached out to the Butler County Jail for clarification regarding when and where Colindres was moved, but have yet to receive a response.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security did not confirm the details of Colindres’ move. Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement, "As is the law, if you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen."
"Emerson Colindres is an illegal alien who has had a final order of removal since 2023. ... ICE’s ATD- Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) exists to ensure compliance with release conditions. All illegal aliens are afforded due process," McLaughlin said, in part.
ICE said in a statement that it routinely transfers detainees between facilities for different reasons, including capacity, security or logistical needs.
The statement from ICE continued to read in part, "Aliens in the United States illegally can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The U.S. is offering aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S., the right, legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."
Colindres’ family moved to the United States in 2014 when Colindres was 8 years old, seeking asylum after claims of gang activity against them in Honduras. In 2023, that asylum case was denied.
Earlier this month, the family attended what they believed would be a routine check-in with immigration officials, but Colindres was detained.
Colindres has been in jail ever since.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the Department of Homeland Security.
