Two teenage brothers from the Republic of Congo who had been detained by federal immigration agents on their way to their Mississippi high school last week were released on Thursday afternoon, their lawyer, Amy Maldonado, said.
The brothers were released after the school community appealed to local Republican politicians and will finish their school year, she said.
The teenagers, Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, were leaving to take the bus to school on April 21 when they were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who had waited outside their guardians’ home in Diamondhead, Miss. They were later taken to separate detention facilities, in Louisiana and Texas.
The teenagers are leaders on their high school’s basketball team and involved in their local church. Their detention had upset many residents in their conservative small town.
Ms. Maldonado, who learned of the possible release on Wednesday, expressed relief that the Department of Homeland Security, under its new secretary, Markwayne Mullin, had come to that decision.
“I’ve seen a lot of unreasonable policies, so it’s good to see with a change of leadership that things are getting fairer,” Ms. Maldonado said on Wednesday night.
The Makoka brothers entered the United States legally on F-1 student visas to attend the Piney Woods School, a prominent, historically Black boarding institution. Israel came in 2023 and Max in 2024. But they felt unhappy there last year, so they transferred to Hancock High, a public school closer to their host family’s neighborhood.
Before the transfer, a local lawyer had advised their host family to become their legal guardians so that they could remain in the country. A judge granted the guardianship request.
But the host family was unaware that the teenagers’ transfer to a public school would affect their immigration status because Hancock was not allowed to host students on F-1 visas, regardless of guardianship, Ms. Maldonado said. The switch drew the attention of ICE.
“The kids did nothing — they did nothing at all — and we did not do anything intentionally,” Gail Baptiste, one of their guardians, said on Tuesday.
Ms. Baptiste recalled that when she tried to show her guardianship documents to immigration agents last week, one told her, “This is worth nothing.” She added that an officer also told her that someone had called “and reported that there were two African kids at Hancock.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday evening that the brothers had “violated their student visas by failing to attend classes at Piney Woods School.”
“They were granted the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program,” the statement said. “However, they failed to attend that school.” Because they violated their visas, they were subject to removal, D.H.S. said.
A spokesperson for D.H.S. did not comment further on Wednesday night when asked about their release.
Ms. Maldonado said on Wednesday that the brothers would reapply for their F-1 status and pay the school district for the cost of their public education. Their guardians will also take them to future immigration proceedings in Louisiana, she said.
It will be difficult to reinstate their previous status, but Ms. Maldonado and Ms. Baptiste remained hopeful after their “surprising” release.
“We hope we’re given a chance to set this right, for their sake,” Ms. Baptiste said on Tuesday.
In its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration has been particularly aggressive toward people in the United States on student visas. Last year, the administration sought to cancel more than a thousand student visas. International students were given no reasons for the cancellations in some cases, while in others there had been documented minor infractions.
Community leaders and teachers at Hancock High School said the students and teachers became very concerned for the well-being of the brothers after their detention.
Conner Entriken, the boys’ basketball coach, said that the Makoka brothers were good students who had a strong work ethic and commitment to their team and community. In the short time they attended Hancock, he said, they became involved and loved by many others.
Nothing speaks more to their character, he said, than when they joined an extra run required of teammates who had lost a drill at practice even though the brothers had been on the winning side.
“Max and Israel really took charge of that to show that they were supporting them,” Mr. Entriken said. “You’re not going to meet two better men, period.”
Hamed Aleaziz contributed reporting. Kirsten Noyes contributed research.
Christina Morales is a national reporter for The Times.
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