SIJS recipient deported to Honduras despite attorneys, federal judge orders return
Mar 18, 2026 · Raleigh, NC, Honduras

Jose Martinez-Andino, a 20-year-old Honduran who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in 2020 and obtained Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, was apprehended by immigration officers on March 18, 2026, while traveling in Montana. He was held in six detention centers over 10 days without access to his two retained attorneys, despite repeatedly requesting counsel and his attorneys' attempts to locate him. Within 24 hours of detention, Martinez-Andino signed a voluntary departure agreement that he says was never properly explained and signed under coercion. He was deported to Honduras on April 10, separating him from his 3-year-old U.S. citizen daughter and his job as a mechanic in Raleigh, North Carolina. Federal Judge Beryl Howell found he was likely denied due process and ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return to the United States.
Timeline
Sources
More incidents in North Carolina
- Grandmother, special-needs teacher detained by ICE despite dismissed deportation caseAug 11, 2026 · Charlotte, NC
- Lyft driver detained by ICE after criminal charge dismissed, separated from familyAug 8, 2026 · Wake County, NC
- Pastor paralyzed after ICE denies food, water, medication in North Carolina detentionAug 4, 2026 · Cary, NC
- 13 detained at Wilson Creek checkpoint during ICE enforcement operation in national forestJul 28, 2026 · Morganton, NC
- Legal resident Argenis Torres detained by ICE in Wilson Creek raidJul 26, 2026 · Caldwell County, NC
- Durham man dies from leukemia in ICE custody after being denied medical careJul 24, 2026 · Durham, NC