Ernesto Manuel-Andres, detained by ICE for three weeks, released and welcomed home to Bowling Green
Jun 25, 2025·Location: Bowling Green, KY

Ernesto Manuel-Andres, an 18-year-old from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on June 4, 2025, just weeks after graduating from Teranga Academy, a learning center for immigrant and refugee youth. He holds Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Deferred Action, giving him legal status to reside in the U.S. After nearly three weeks in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, Manuel-Andres was unexpectedly released on June 24 when the Department of Homeland Security failed to meet paperwork deadlines for an appeal of his $1,500 bond. The Bowling Green community organized vigils and protests demanding his release, and celebrated his homecoming on June 25 with family, friends, and educators. Teranga Academy principal Kristi Costellow said, "All I can say is that I'm thankful to be in Bowling Green, Ky, where we live in a community where people will see something that's wrong and they will keep at it until it's made right."
Sources
- Ernesto Manuel-Andres returns to Bowling Green, community holds celebration to welcome him home
WNKY·Jun 26, 2025·archived copy
- Victory: CBP admitted our clients to safety — Lawyers for Good Government
- lasexta.com
- GoFundMe launched for students threatened with detainment, deportation
bgdailynews.com·Aug 24, 2025·archived copy
- wkuherald.com
- Fugees Family releases statement regarding release of Ernesto Manuel-Andres
WNKY·Jun 25, 2025·archived copy
- Teranga Academy graduate, detained since June 4, released on bond
WNKY·Jun 25, 2025·archived copy
- Good to see detained teen back home - Bowling Green Daily News
bgdailynews.com·Jun 30, 2025·archived copy
- Donate to Bring Andres Home to His Family, organized by Jesica Aranda
GoFundMe·Jul 9, 2026·archived copy
More incidents in Kentucky
- Kentucky immigrants still denied bond despite court ruling favoring hearingsSep 1, 2026 · KY
- Kentucky State basketball player detained by ICE at airport, denied adequate medical careAug 7, 2026 · Louisville, KY
- Ugandan sickle cell patient detained by ICE denied medication, hospitalized at Kentucky jailJul 29, 2026 · Louisville, KY
- ICE arrests six people in Western Kentucky; 185 immigrants held at Hopkins County JailJul 24, 2026 · Madisonville, KY
- Eight arrested in ICE operation in HendersonJul 23, 2026 · Henderson, KY
- Ugandan woman detained by ICE still denied proper sickle cell care, brother saysJul 22, 2026 · Leitchfield, KY