Cincinnati teen Nelbi Chun De Leon finished his junior and senior years of high school in one year.
He aspired to create his own small business.
He was looking forward to crossing the stage at his high school graduation on May 19.
Since April 15, however, the 18-year-old Guatemala native has been sitting in the Kenton County Detention Center, detained for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
His high school teacher is considering how to recognize him at the 4:30 p.m. ceremony.
“He was a model student and always has been,” said Ariel Hemphill, De Leon’s teacher at Cincinnati Public Schools’ Virtual High School.
De Leon ‘dedicated to his education,’ teacher says
De Leon fled Guatemala in 2023 for his safety and lack of opportunity, his sister said in a phone interview through an interpreter.
As a minor, he was allowed to enter the United States to seek asylum status, said the sister, who The Enquirer agreed not to name for her safety.
Living with family in Cincinnati’s West Price Hill neighborhood, he completed 9th and 10th grades at Western Hills University High School, the West Price Hill school caught up in an immigration controversy in April.
Last fall, he enrolled in CPS’s virtual program, completing his 11th-grade school work by Christmas and his 12th-grade classes by March, according to Hemphill. “This is a student that is dedicated to his education,” she said.
He was “extremely good” in math and easily picked up English, she said. English was his third language after Mam, the indigenous language from his home country, and Spanish, which he learned in grade school there.
At home, De Leon spent his time reading, playing soccer and helping care for younger cousins, his sister said.
“He’s a good boy. He’s always helping,” she said.
Sister, teacher believe he was profiled
De Leon was arrested by Kenton County Police Department officers while in Northern Kentucky on April 15, according to Bloc Ministries, an advocacy group calling for his release.
Officers followed him when he left a gas station there because he appeared Hispanic, his sister said.
Hemphill shares that opinion. “He was profiled,” his teacher said. “That is the only conclusion I can come to.”
De Leon was cited for operating a vehicle without a license or insurance, both of which he has, according to his sister.
He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of not having his license with him, Kenton County Jailer Marc Fields told The Enquirer. Officials dismissed the charge related to insurance.
Kenton County is holding him under what is called a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which allows local officials to perform limited immigration enforcement work.
Neither Kenton County Police nor ICE immediately returned requests to explain De Leon’s arrest and detention.
His immigration attorney also did not return a call about the status of his effort to win asylum. His next immigration hearing is May 26, Bloc Ministries said.
‘Nelbi isn’t here,’ classmates say
Walter Vasquez, strategic director of Latino Initiatives for Bloc, has visited De Leon in detention three times. The student told Vasquez he hopes to someday own a landscaping or roofing business.
His sister said De Leon believed a high school diploma was essential.
“It’s his main goal,” she said. “He always dreamed of getting his diploma so he could get a good job.”
Now, Hemphill and other school officials are thinking about how to note his accomplishments and his absence when fellow seniors pick up their diplomas at Fifth Third Arena at the University of Cincinnati.
In school, both in-person and virtual, De Leon was a chatty, friendly, “talk-to-anyone kind of kid,” Hemphill said.
Classmates were quiet on the bus when they drove to a May 5 senior celebration, she said. “It’s because Nelbi isn’t here,” they told her.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Guatemalan teen has wish for high school graduation: release from ICE
Reporting by Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
