‘Free Ernesto.’ KY teen in country legally still held by ICE in Louisiana

A Bowling Green teenager who is in the country legally has spent nearly two weeks in immigration detention and has not seen a judge, advocates say.

Ernesto Manuel-Andres, 18, was detained June 4 in an Immigration, Customs and Enforcement sweep in Kentucky where ICE agents were looking for someone else. Andres showed ICE agents his documents at the time he was detained. One of those documents is Special Immigrant Juvenile 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 was detained anyway.

He has yet to see a judge, said Luma Mufleh, founder of Fugees Family and a longtime advocate for refugee and immigrant youth. Fugees Family works with the Bowling Green Public Schools to provide resources and help to refugee and immigrant children. Bowling Green has been a long-time refugee resettlement area.

Manuel-Andres has been moved three times since he was detained June 4, Mufleh said. He was first taken to Grayson County, then moved to Laurel County and finally to Richwoood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana.

Advocates struggled to locate and speak to the teen after he was moved multiple times.

When he was in Grayson County, advocates and lawyers showed up to speak to Manuel-Andres around 8:30 a.m. shortly after he was detained. ICE had moved him at 6:30 a.m. that same day to Laurel County.

Manuel-Andres, who is originally from Guatemala, was eventually able to speak to advocates and lawyers last week on June 9. At the time, advocates believed he would get a hearing Wednesday, but DHS then filed a motion to change the venue for Manuel-Andres’ hearing, which canceled his bond hearing set for Wednesday.

That new hearing is now in LaSalle, La. He has a master calendar hearing set for June 23 at 8:30 a.m. However, that hearing is a formality and no decisions— such as if he could be released on bond — are made during those type of hearings.

“Because DHS filed a motion to change the venue for his case, Ernesto’s bond hearing will not take place this week as originally scheduled,” Mufleh said in a June 16 Facebook post.

ICE and government officials are now trying to argue that the teen, who has no criminal history, entered the country illegally.

Mufleh said that’s not the correct interpretation of the law.

In a Facebook post, Mufleh said: “Now, ICE is claiming that Ernesto entered the country unlawfully and therefore doesn’t qualify for protection.

Let’s set the record straight:

• Ernesto was approved for SIJ (Special Immigrant Juvenile) status by a judge before he turned 18.
• SIJ is a legal protection created for children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents.
• Lawful entry is not a requirement for SIJ. In fact, many children who receive SIJ protections entered the U.S. without inspection — because they were fleeing danger.
• Living with a non-abusive parent or guardian after SIJ approval does not void or disqualify the status.”

“ICE is either misrepresenting the law or spreading misinformation to justify the detention of a young man who followed the rules. Ernesto did everything right,” Mufleh wrote.

Meanwhile, the Bowling Green community has rallied to demand Manuel-Andres’ release. On June 11, shortly after news about Manuel-Andres’ arrest broke, there was a rally in Bowling Green to support the teen’s release.

A Go Fund Me to pay for Manuel-Andres’ legal expenses has surpassed $27,000 to date. Mufleh has said money not spent on Manuel-Andres’ legal fees will go to a fund to help other refugees detained by ICE.

Multiple Bowling Green churches are holding prayer vigils this week to increase the pressure on officials to release the teen.

Broadway United Methodist Church in Bowling Green is holding a prayer vigil for Manuel-Andres at 7 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 11:54 AM.

Beth Musgrave

Lexington Herald-Leader

Beth Musgrave has covered government and politics for the Herald-Leader for more than a decade. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has worked as a reporter in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Washington D.C. Support my work with a digital subscription