A group of Los Angeles Unified School Teachers gathered Monday to support an 18-year-old Reseda High School senior who has been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more than a month.
Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz has been at the Adelanto Detention Center since he was taken into custody in August while walking his dog near his family’s Van Nuys apartment.
Teacher Lizette Becerra told KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell that she’s visited the teen and noted that he’s struggling in the custody of ICE.
“He’s treated like a prisoner, can’t go anywhere, can’t do anything,” she explained. “He wants to be out.”
The message of the teachers assembled in support of Guerrero-Cruz on Monday was “education, not deportation.”
“We’re here because he’s still there,” Becerra said. “He has not been released.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the high school student overstayed his visa by more than two years and is in the country illegally from Chile. Federal officials added that he will remain in custody pending removal.
Teacher Ron Gochez told KTLA that the 18-year-old should be allowed to be in school and be with his family, a sentiment the student’s neighbor, identified only as Valerie T., agreed with.
“I want him to finish his senior year and enjoy that year like any other 18-year-old kid and be reunited with his family,” she said. “He misses them and they really miss him.”
Valeria witnessed Guerrero-Cruz being detained by federal agents and has visited him since he was taken into custody.
“It’s really sad. It’s really heartbreaking and traumatizing for him. He’ll never be the same,” she said. “It’s traumatizing for his family, for our neighborhood, for our street, for everyone who witnessed it, for the community.”
A GoFundMe has been organized to help raise funds for legal fees and immigration services, as well as to help him build life if he is deported.
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