KY teen, detained by ICE despite legal status, released from custody on bond
A Bowling Green teen who advocates say is in the U.S. legally was released on bond Tuesday after more than 20 days in custody of immigration officials.
Ernesto Manuel-Andres, 18, was detained by U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement agents in a June 4 raid and had been in ICE custody since then.
Luma Mufleh, an immigration and refugee advocate who has helped raise awareness about Manuel-Andres’ case, said a judge set Manuel-Andres’ bond at $1,500 during a Monday hearing.
At first, advocates thought the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, would appeal that bond decision, which would have left Manuel-Andres in custody longer. However, on Tuesday, Manuel-Andres was released to attorneys and advocates.
“What a roller coaster of a day — we posted bond, and either DHS missed the one-business-day deadline or decided not to appeal. Either way, one thing matters most: We’re bringing our boy home,” Mufleh said in a Facebook post.
Manuel-Andres, who is originally from Guatemala and graduated high school in Bowling Green, has two types of documents that give him legal status to be in the United States: Special Immigrant Juvenile status, a legal designation granted to youth who have survived abandonment, neglect or abuse, and Deferred Action from the Department of Homeland Security, which protects him from deportation, advocates have said.
Manuel-Andres has been moved three times since he was detained on June 4. He was eventually taken to an ICE facility in Monroe, Louisiana.
In a statement released Wednesday, Manuel-Andres said he was “very surprised” about the community and national support he received. He was also relieved to see his principal Kristi Costelow and Mufleh when he was released.
“I was happy to see people I knew,” Manuel-Andres said. “I’d like to say, ‘Thank you for all it, the prayers, for support, for everything.”
Manuel-Andres has returned to Bowling Green, and he declined interviews with the media because of his ongoing legal case.
“He is relieved to be home, but this has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic experience,” a refugee program that’s worked with Manuel-Andres said in a news release.” Ernesto is just 18 and is understandably very overwhelmed at this time.”
ICE has charged the teen with being in the country illegally. However, advocates have argued the law says those with Special Immigrant Juvenile status are protected from those types of charges.
An ICE notice on its website about Special Immigration Juvenile status says that as of June 6, two days after Manuel-Andres was detained, those with Special Immigration Juvenile status would no longer be eligible for deferred action.
Meanwhile, the Bowling Green community has rallied in support of Manuel-Andres, holding protests and prayer vigils since he was detained alongside his father.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 9:28 AM.
