HAMILTON, Ohio — Friends and family of Emerson Colindres organized an emergency protest outside the Butler County Jail in the hours after Colindres called his mother from inside and told her officials warned him ICE would be removing him from the jail later Monday evening.
The protesters were concerned he would be removed from the state in preparation for deportation out of the country.
His mother addressed the crowd of around 70 people through a translator.
"What Emerson called me today to tell me, 'Mom, they're going to move me,' you can't even imagine the fear he's feeling," she said.
WATCH: We talk with protesters supporting Emerson Colindres
Colindres's soccer coach, Bryan Williams, helped rally support for the protest Monday evening.
"Most of them know Emerson. If you knew him, you would be out here too," he said.
Sarah Madrigal has spent the last decade working with the Colindres family as a social worker with Cincinnati Public Schools. She said the family did everything the right way by applying for asylum after fleeing Honduras and going through the immigration court system until that asylum claim was denied in 2023.
The family wasn't told to leave the U.S. even after the final asylum denial and made regular check-ins with ICE until Colindres was detained at a check-in on June 4.
"I work with immigrant students specifically at CPS, and he represents all of them," Madrigal said.
WATCH: Colindres spoke to us from jail. This is what he said.
WCPO reached out to Butler County Officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement representatives Monday afternoon about Colindres's location and the plan for his deportation.
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.
Colindres was still listed as housed in the Butler County Jail at last check.
