Honduran teen with Special Immigrant Juvenile status held in ICE detention over 200 days
Oct 5, 2026·Location: Albertville, AL
Country of origin: Honduras

Elder Chavez Carranza, an 18-year-old junior at Asbury High School in Albertville, Alabama, was detained by ICE on December 30, 2025, after a state trooper stopped him for speeding and driving without a license and contacted immigration officials. Chavez Carranza, originally from Copan, Honduras, fled violence and poverty and entered the U.S. at age 14, later being granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, though a separate deferred-action and green card application remains unresolved. He is held at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, where he says he has lacked adequate food and dental care, works as a painter earning $1 per day, and shares a room with 54 other men. His sister and legal guardian, Maryuri Chavez Carranza, a former teacher, said he calls her daily and misses his teachers, friends, senior year activities, and the birth of his nephew. By September 2026 he had spent more than 200 days in detention, as advocates including Angela Del Valle organized vigils across three states and raised concerns about conditions at Winn, where two detainees had died in less than two months.
Sources
- ICE detains teen after speeding stop—now his green card process is in limbo
Newsweek·Aug 6, 2026
- Activists demand release of Honduran teen held by ICE after…
- 18-year-old in ICE detention for more than 200 days: 'They just took me away'
abcnews.com·Sep 29, 2026
- themirror.com
- Alabama high school student detained by ICE ‘not giving up’ after bond denied: ‘God is with him’
khanlist.com·Oct 5, 2026
everlit.audio·Oct 5, 2026
- al.com
- Albertville teen denied bond, to remain in ICE custody
WAFF·Oct 3, 2026
More incidents in Alabama
- US citizen construction worker detained repeatedly by ICE despite valid Alabama ID, sues DHSSep 21, 2026 · Foley, AL
- ICE arrests 13, including 10 Haitians, in Marshall County sweepSep 16, 2026 · Albertville, AL
- Former Haitian ombudsman Renan Hédouville deported to Haiti alongside 78 othersSep 4, 2026 · Montgomery, AL
- Alabama teen deported to Guatemala weeks after high school graduationAug 9, 2026 · Littleville, AL
- Man detained for a year as material witness stays jailed despite release order, later held by ICEJul 31, 2026 · Montgomery, AL
- Army sergeant's wife detained at green card interview, family separatedJul 8, 2026 · Montgomery, AL