
DETROIT—Teachers, students, and community activists in this city flooded the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board meeting on Tuesday to demand its members fight for the release of Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, a junior at Western International High School, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last month and is scheduled to be deported today.
The board meeting dragged on for several hours as dozens of Detroiters made public comments calling for the student to be returned to Detroit and for elected leaders to do more in the face of ICE raids and Trump’s militarized power plays. After hours of intense public comments, the board issued a statement condemning Bogoya-Duarte’s detention by federal immigration officials.
While these developments were happening here, mass peaceful protests continued against the ICE raids in Los Angeles and in other cities around the country. On Tuesday, demonstrators in L.A., in the time-honored traditions of peaceful civil disobedience, voluntarily submitted to arrest to make the point that the Trump administration’s raids and deployment of National Guard troops and Marines were both illegal and immoral. The city’s mayor, Karen Bass, said it was her job to protect everyone in the city, regardless of when, how, or from where they came to the U.S.
Here in Detroit, Bogoya-Duarte was detained by immigration authorities on May 20 while driving with classmates to a school field trip. The 18-year-old immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia nearly three years ago. His request for asylum was denied last year, and he was planning to return to Colombia with his mother shortly after his upcoming high school graduation.
After being seized by ICE, Bogoya-Duarte was transferred to a detention facility over eight hours away, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Reportedly, he is now at an ICE detention facility in Louisiana and facing deportation to Colombia, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, as many of the attendees found out in-real-time during the board’s meeting.
Public commenters called on DPSCD officials to demand a to halt Bogoya-Duarte’s deportation to allow him to finish his high school education. Community members also demanded stronger immigrant protections in DPSCD, including “Know Your Rights” training, sanctuary school policies, English-as-Second-Language (ESL) support, and mental health services.
Board member Sherry J. Gay-Dagongo and others reiterated their support for a 2018 resolution that confirms DPSCD as a sanctuary school district. “We are committed to protecting the rights of all students, regardless of their family’s immigration status,” Gay-Dagongo said.
But for Bogoya-Duarte’s classmates, teachers, and their community allies, affirmations were not enough. “Our ask is not impossible, and it is very simple,” said People’s Assembly organizer Pauli Duran, who was standing next to Bogoya-Duarte’s mother during the public comment period.
“The sanctuary school district status is great, but laws, resolutions, and policies are worthless and are words without meaning if there are no concrete actions taken,” she said.
Josh Medina, also from the People’s Assembly, agreed. “We don’t need you to tell us you’re a sanctuary school district—we need you to show it,” he said.
Almost four hours later, the board returned with a statement, stating they “stand firmly with our community in demanding the immediate stay of deportation for our student, Maykol Bogoya-Duarte.” The statement also called for his immediate release and a formal stay of his deportation. “We want him to complete his coursework and graduate with his high school diploma—just as he has worked hard to do.”
After being denied legal protection status, Bogoya-Duarte and his mother were planning to follow self-deportation orders but needed to obtain a passport for Duarte first, explained Ruby Robinson, her son’s attorney. He said they had come to the U.S. from Colombia to escape violence.
“ICE has her passport, and she’s prepared to buy tickets to depart the United States with him, but unfortunately, before they were able to get a passport for Maykol and leave the United States, this happened,” he said.
A petition organized by 482Forward, the People’s Assembly, and MI Students Dream describes Bogoya-Duarte as a dedicated student and beloved member of the community. His detention has deeply affected Western International High School in Detroit’s Southwest neighborhood, where many students come from working-class immigrant families.
In a joint statement, the organizations who called for public support reiterated, “No one should have to live in fear of being torn from their home, their education, or their community.”
One of Bogoya-Duarte’s friends and classmates stood for a comment, sharing: “He’s a great student, and always helps others. We clearly know what is happening to him and why he has been detained. It is an injustice to him and to the Latino community.”
Kristen Schoettle, an ESL teacher in Southwest Detroit, reflected on Bogoya-Duarte’s time in her classroom and emphasized that he came to this country as a minor and has no political protection. “We know that our immigration system is unjust and cruel, and we as leaders have a responsibility to fight back,” she said to long applause.
As in the rest of the U.S, immigrant workers and their families in Detroit are being targeted by ICE and the Trump administration for arrest and deportation. Several public speakers called for DPSCD and Detroit City Council to take a firm stance against the emergence of fascism.
Bogoya-Duarte’s mother, also a member of the People’s Assembly, connected her son’s experiences with the struggle of the community at large. “Today, we are here for Maykol, but I also want to tell you that other Detroit residents have been detained by ICE.
“I have seen this with my own eyes. Just know that all of us are impacted by this, the DPSCD community and the city of Detroit,” she said. “ICE action is destroying our community.”
She emphasized her hopes that the board would take inspiration from elected officials around the country who have successfully taken action to ensure the safe return of their detained students and community members.
A petition demanding Maykol Bogoya-Duarte’s release to finish high school can be found here.
Drew Younker contributed material to this story.
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