Free Ernesto: Wrongfully Detained by ICE After Graduation

Three weeks ago, we were celebrating Ernesto’s high school graduation. Today, we are fighting for his freedom.

I’m Luma Mufleh, founder of Fugees Family and a longtime advocate for refugee and immigrant youth. Today I’m raising funds to help free Ernesto, one of our graduates, who was wrongfully detained by ICE — just three weeks after we celebrated his high school graduation.

Ernesto is legally authorized to be in the U.S. through Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status — a legal designation granted to youth who have survived abandonment, neglect, or abuse. He also has Deferred Action from the Department of Homeland Security, which legally protects him from deportation.

He has complied with every requirement asked of him. He has no criminal history, no pending charges, no deportation order, and no reason to be detained.

But last week, Ernesto was detained by ICE as a collateral arrest — they were pursuing someone else, but arrested him anyway. He had no warrant. No charges. No deportation order. No reason to be detained.

It gets worse. Since his detention, Ernesto has been moved three times in five days — most recently to Monroe, Louisiana — a tactic ICE uses to block access to legal counsel. As of today, Ernesto has still not been allowed to speak to his attorneys. This is an egregious violation of his rights and a direct attack on due process.

This is not what the American people voted for. This is not justice.

If this can happen to Ernesto — a legal resident, a graduate, a young man with protections on paper — it can happen to anyone.

I have spent nearly two decades working with refugee and immigrant youth in this country. I have seen many hard things. But I never imagined that after all he had survived, after everything he had achieved, Ernesto would be fighting this battle now.

How your donation will be used:

100% of donations will go directly toward posting Ernesto’s bond and supporting him and his family during this fight (travel to bring him home, housing, and basic needs once he is released). His legal fees are already covered.

If bond funds are returned: If Ernesto’s bond is refunded (once his case is resolved could take anywhere from a 6 months -2 years), any repaid funds will be used to create a legal and emergency fund for other refugee and immigrant students in our Fugees Family community — so that no young person in our care faces this nightmare alone. We will be fully transparent with how these funds are used.

Please — stand with us. Give what you can. Share this widely. Help us bring Ernesto home.

All funds raised here will be managed directly by me and used solely as stated above.

Thank you for believing in justice.

Let’s bring Ernesto home.