UPDATE: Trion Teen Held at Folkston ICE Facility, More Than 300 Miles From Home

Elder Yuvini Aguilar Macario, the 19-year-old Trion High School senior whose arrest weeks before graduation drew statewide attention, is now being held at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia, a South Georgia facility near the Florida line, roughly 300 miles from the northwest Georgia community that has rallied around him.

It is at least his third detention transfer since his May 2 arrest. Aguilar Macario was first booked into the Walker County Sheriff’s Office following a two-vehicle traffic crash, then moved to the Floyd County Jail, and from there into ICE custody at the Irwin County Detention Center. He has since been transferred again, ultimately arriving at Folkston.

Aguilar Macario described the transport process as physically restrictive. During the trips between facilities, he said he was shackled at the waist, wrists and ankles. On the final leg of his journey, the transfer that brought him to Folkston, he said he was held in a caged section of a prisoner transport bus.

Missed His Own Graduation, But Not Forgotten

Aguilar Macario was arrested May 2, just weeks before he was set to graduate from Trion High School. He was arrested as a result of a car accident, and was charged with driving without a valid license, improper lane change, and failure to maintain lane. When he arrived at the Walker County jail, his immigration status was checked, and he was noted to have a deportation order.

He did not get to walk across the stage. But when his name was called during the ceremony, his classmates gave him a standing ovation. His seat was marked in his recognition, his cap and robe, his graduation cords, and a photo of him placed on the empty chair.

Before the ceremony began, a Trion faculty member read aloud a letter Aguilar had written to the classmates he’d known since the first grade, thanking them for their support.

He has now been in detention for two months and nine days. He said he hopes to be released by his birthday, September 5.

Life Inside Folkston

Speaking from the facility, Aguilar Macario said he is “doing good”. Like a lot of American teenagers this summer, he planned to watch the World Cup tonight, just not alone. He’ll be watching with the roughly 72 other detainees who share his pod. 72 is the capacity for his pod. Folkston overall holds several hundred detainees, with a capacity reported as high as 1,118.

His pod has four TVs and a small number of tablets that offer other programming and games. Aguilar Macario said he tries not to use the tablets much, since access comes at a cost, “I try to not spend money on games and stuff.”

To get through the days, he reads his Bible and attends Bible study twice a day, three times on Sundays. “It helps the days go by faster,” he said. He estimated he gets outdoor time about twice a week.

From Soccer Fields and Welding Class to a Legal Fight

Before his arrest, Aguilar Macario was a member of the Trion High School soccer team and had already begun taking welding classes at Georgia Northwestern Technical College while still in high school.

His immigration status has been tied to his mother’s case since he was six years old, when her application was denied and a deportation order was issued. Returning to Guatemala was not something the family considered workable, so his mother made the decision for the family to remain in the United States. As Aguilar grew up, there was little he could do on his own to change his legal status, but he said he has always felt American, and that as soon as he is released, he intends to pursue legal status himself.

His attorneys have filed to reopen his immigration case, which dates back 13 years. In the two months and nine days he has been detained, he has not yet appeared before a judge, and he said he does not know how much longer it will be before his case is heard.

Looking Ahead

Aguilar Macario said the experience has taught him about survival and self-reliance. He described the staff at Folkston as “pretty kind,” and said he is thankful for the way the Trion community has stood behind him.

Asked what he’s most looking forward to when he gets home, his answer was simple: something good to eat.

Elder’s Graduation Letter: