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Houston Police Transfer Missing Autistic Teen to ICE Despite Active Missing Person Report

Oct 11, 2025 · Houston, TX, Nicaragua

Houston Police Transfer Missing Autistic Teen to ICE Despite Active Missing Person Report

A 15-year-old boy with autism and special needs, Emmanuel González Garcia, went missing on October 4, 2025, after wandering away from his mother Maria García's fruit stand in Houston. Houston Police Department located him the next day but did not connect him with the existing missing person report due to a name discrepancy (Manuel vs. Emmanuel). HPD contacted ICE and transferred the boy to federal immigration custody. García was without knowledge of her son's whereabouts for nearly a week until an immigration attorney intervened. The teen is now in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody and is facing emergency appendix surgery. An investigation into the Houston Police Department's procedures was initiated following the incident.

Timeline

Oct 11, 2025Immigration attorney intervenes; Maria García learns her son's location after nearly a week; Emmanuel is in ORR custody and requires emergency appendix surgery.
Oct 5, 2025HPD locates Emmanuel but fails to match him to missing person report due to name discrepancy, then transfers him to ICE custody without notifying his mother.
Oct 4, 2025Emmanuel González Garcia, 15-year-old with autism, goes missing after wandering from his mother's fruit stand in Houston.

Sources

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