Detained Austin high school senior Luis Fernando Cabrera Chavarria, whose family, friends and community rallied for his release from ICE custody for weeks, will be released Wednesday, in time to attend his graduation from Northeast Early College High School.
U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam ordered Chavarria be released from custody before Friday. Chavarria's sister, Holi, who asked Austin Current to withhold her last name because of deportation concerns, confirmed the date of his release. The decision comes after family, friends and community members showed up in support of the high school senior, asking that he be let out in time to walk the stage at his high school graduation on June 2 after missing the tail end of his senior year and completing finals in detention.
A state trooper stopped Chavarria for an expired registration sticker in the early hours of May 1 while the student was on his way home from a night shift at a local Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, where he works to help support his sister and nephew. The officer referred the teen to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which transferred him to the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center, where he awaited the ruling until Wednesday. Last week, the Austin Independent School District and ICE agreed to allow Chavarria to complete his school work in detention.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chavarria's detention comes as Austin families, educators and advocates sound the alarm that increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement is reshaping school communities across Texas. Supporters say Chavarria is a hard-working teen and valuable member of his school, church and soccer communities. His arrest, on the verge of graduation while working to support his family, has resonated throughout Austin.
Chavarria's family entered the U.S. in 2019 and applied for asylum under the Biden administration. However, Chavarria did not know until he was detained that his asylum application was never filed correctly. Lawyers representing Chavarria have since refiled his asylum paperwork, according to attorney Jim Harrington, who has known Chavarria since he arrived in the U.S.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, said at a press conference Monday that Chavarria was holding strong after visiting him in detention earlier that day. He said Chavarria shared he hoped to attend Austin Community College and become an accountant following graduation.
Casar echoed calls for Chavarria's release, adding Chavarria said all he wanted was to walk across the graduation stage in June. He read a note signed by Chavarria that thanked friends, family and community supporters he had never met for uniting in support of his release.
"Luis Fernando is an excellent brother, an excellent student, an excellent friend and in talking with the school district, Luis Fernando has such good grades, even though he has not made it to his classes the last few days, he is ready to graduate," Casar said on Monday.
Austin City Council Member Mike Siegel was the first to visit Chavarria in his capacity as a lawyer and told Austin Current last week that the teen was sad, but strong, as he missed milestones like prom.
Austin Community College trustee Stephanie Ann Gharakhanian joined calls for Chavarria's release Monday. Gharakhanian said the student should be at home and attending Austin Community College, where she looks forward to welcoming Chavarria this fall.
"The ACC Riverbat community never ceases to inspire me," Gharakhanian said Monday. "Luis Fernando already embodies so many of the qualities that make that student body and that community so special."
Immigration enforcement has sharply escalated under the Trump administration, and increasing numbers of children and teenagers have been detained across the country, creating what advocates say is a chilling effect on immigrant communities and contributing to enrollment declines in public schools. Austin ISD leaders have cited immigration crackdowns as part of the cause for a loss of 3,000 students this year. ICE detained more than 6,200 children during President Trump's second term, a dramatic increase from previous years, according to federal data analyzed by The Marshall Project.
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