Venezuelan high school student held 18 days without charges, asylum pending
Jan 28, 2026 · Orange County, FL, Venezuela

Javier Gimenez Rivero is a high school student from Venezuela living in Orange County with a pending asylum claim and valid U.S. Employment Authorization. He was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol and held in Orange County Jail for 18 days without criminal charges, a notice to appear, a warrant, a hearing, or written notice of the basis for his detention, according to a federal judge's order. His attorneys, Phillip and Josephine Arroyo, say Rivero is devastated and traumatized. A federal judge ordered his release, stating "In this country, we don't enforce the law by breaking the law," and found numerous constitutional violations in his detention. Rivero now has a hearing scheduled for 2028 to review his asylum claim.
Sources
More incidents in Florida
- Mother and daughter detained by ICE while being treated at Orlando-area hospitalAug 22, 2026 · Orlando, FL
- Video shows ICE agents forcing women to ground during Fort Myers, Florida stopAug 20, 2026 · Fort Myers, FL
- Florida's ICE office leads nation in arrests amid expanding local police partnershipsAug 19, 2026 · Miami, FL
- Former Cuban judge detained by ICE outside Florida home, denies Communist Party tiesAug 18, 2026 · Cooper City, FL
- Immigrant forcibly detained by ICE outside Dollar Tree in JacksonvilleAug 17, 2026 · Jacksonville, FL
- Guatemalan man held over a week at 72-hour ICE facility despite signing voluntary departureAug 17, 2026 · Miramar, FL