Recent Cincinnati high school graduate ICE detainee moved to processing center

Some members of the Cincy Galaxy soccer team attended a Sunday night rally outside the Butler County Jail. Their teammate, Emerson Colindres, a native of Honduras, recently was arrested by ICE officials. RICK McCRABB/CONTRIBUTOR

Some members of the Cincy Galaxy soccer team attended a Sunday night rally outside the Butler County Jail. Their teammate, Emerson Colindres, a native of Honduras, recently was arrested by ICE officials. RICK McCRABB/CONTRIBUTOR

A 19-year-old Cincinnati high school graduate facing deportation to Honduras is no longer listed as an inmate in the Butler County Jail.

Emerson Colindres’ mother informed supporters gathered for a protest at the jail on Monday night that officials had notified them of his impending transfer that evening.

Colindres is now at the Alexandria Staging Facility, an ICE processing Center in central Louisiana. He called his mother from inside that facility to let her know.

Sheriff Richard Jones told Journal-News he has no “say so” on when detainees are moved or where they are moved.

Jones said there are approximately 30,000 to 40,000 beds throughout the United States for detainees, and in order for them to maintain those beds, ICE moves detainees quickly.

The average stay for an ICE detainee in Butler County Jail is 3-4 weeks, according to Sheriff Jones.

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, who spent his time playing soccer with his teammates, has been in jail ever since.

His detention has been devastating for Colindres’ teammates, who have been vocal about the human impact of deportation cases, emphasizing that behind every case is a personal story.

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