360 Miles from Home. Days from Graduation. Elder Aguilar-Macario Is Still in ICE Custody.

A note to our readers: AllOnGeorgia has received criticism for not providing updates sooner on the details surrounding Elder Aguilar-Macario’s arrest. We want to be transparent about where we have been in this process. Our first report was published based on public information available from the Walker County Sheriff’s Office at the time. We submitted Open Records Requests to the Georgia State Patrol on Monday, May 11, and have followed up multiple times. As of publication, we have not received that information. We will update this story as soon as those records are received. In the meantime, we are reporting what we have confirmed and crediting Channel 12’s Lillian Yi for the details of the accident she reported, while we continue to await our records request.

In a response to AllOnGeorgia on May 13, a GSP representative stated: “Our Open Records Unit has three days to respond, which usually begins the first full day after the request is received.  ORU process an extraordinary number of requests per month but will operate within that timeframe. If you don’t hear back from them by Friday, you may want to follow up with them again.”

AllOnGeorgia followed up on Friday, but has not received the requested records.

What We Now Know About the Crash

On May 1, Elder Aguilar-Macario was involved in a motor vehicle crash in Walker County that led to his arrest and subsequent transfer to ICE custody. According to reporting by Lillian Yi of News 12, the first vehicle was headed south on Highway 151 when it turned onto Halls Valley Road, swerving out of the lane and striking a second vehicle that was moving west on Halls Valley Road and coming to a stop at the intersection. Investigators say the driver of the first car told them he did not see the other vehicle.

Aguilar-Macario was charged with failure to maintain lane and driving without a license following the crash — both misdemeanor offenses.

Screenshot from Channel 12

Screenshot from Channel 12

News 12 also spoke with Katie Long, the daughter of the driver of the second vehicle involved in the crash. Long made clear where she stands.

“I support the protest. He should not be held in custody. Mom also believes he should be let go because after the wreck, he was so respectable and nice. He was quick to make sure she was okay, and in no way do we believe that this should be happening to him.”

Long also spoke directly with AllOnGeorgia and gave permission for her quotes to be used, adding, “Honestly me and my family just want to see this young man released. We all agree what is happening is wrong.”

Long said her mother did have to go to the hospital following the wreck, and that she has still been sore, but is home.

Elder’s Mother Applied for Asylum — And Was Denied

AllOnGeorgia has also learned new details about the family’s immigration history that add critical context to this story.

When Elder’s mother arrived in the United States, she applied for asylum. Her children, including Elder, were listed as riders on that application — meaning their legal status was tied directly to the outcome of hers. That application was denied. As a result, Elder and his siblings were left without a clear or accessible path to legal status.

His parents confirmed to News 12 that they had attempted to complete the citizenship process but were unable to provide all the required proof.

“She tried. The only thing that happened is that she could not provide everything they asked for, asking for video, pictures, all of it, by the way, what was going on at the time, and she could not provide it,” they told Channel 12.

Where Is Elder Now

Elder has now been moved at least four times — from Walker County Jail to Floyd County, then to Irwin County Detention Center near Tifton, and most recently to Folkston Detention Center near the Florida state line, another one of the state’s ICE detention facilities, and 360 miles from his family and his community in Trion.

His legal team is working to file a Stay order and build the case for why Elder deserves to remain in the United States.

On Saturday, the Chattooga County Democratic Party hosted a protest outside the Chattooga County Courthouse in support of Elder’s release. According to News 12’s reporting by Lillian Yi, Elder’s mother was present, and her cries could be heard as she called for her son’s return.

Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1016395467481562

What Happens Next

Elder’s attorneys are working to secure a Stay order that would halt any deportation proceedings and allow them to argue the merits of his case.  That process takes time — time that Elder is spending inside an ICE Detention Center, far from Trion, far from his family, and far from the graduation stage where his name will be called in a few days, regardless of whether he is there to walk across it.

AllOnGeorgia will continue to follow this story. The moment our Open Records Request from the Georgia State Patrol is fulfilled, we will release the GSP reports accordingly. We have added screenshots from Channel 12’s report on the accident.

Crash details credited to Lillian Yi, News 12.

Protest held for Elder Aguilar-Macario following transfer to ICE detention center – WDEF