9-year-old who pleaded to go to spelling bee is released from ICE detention
Key Takeaways
- A 9-year-old asylum-seeker from Colombia, who told children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel he wanted to leave detention to attend a spelling bee, and his family were released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center on humanitarian parole.
- The family had been detained after a routine check-in in New Mexico; they will return to New Mexico and continue immigration check-ins while their asylum case proceeds.
- Advocates and lawyers say conditions at Dilley have raised concern for children’s health and education; DHS disputes those accounts.
- Humanitarian parole is a temporary, discretionary release and does not confer immigration status—parolees must still pursue asylum or other relief and may apply to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) for work authorization.
Case and release
A 9‑year‑old boy, Deiver Henao Jimenez, who famously told children’s entertainer Rachel Accurso (“Ms. Rachel”) during a video call “I don’t want to be here anymore,” was freed from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas along with his parents. The family, asylum‑seekers from Colombia, had been detained since early March after a routine check‑in in New Mexico, their lawyer Corey Sullivan Martin said. ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) released them on humanitarian parole about a week after the lawyer filed for release and days after the case drew media attention; the family plans to return to New Mexico and continue required check‑ins while their immigration case proceeds.
Conditions and controversy
It has been reported that Dilley has faced mounting scrutiny from immigration lawyers and advocates who say children there have struggled to access adequate medical care and education, and who describe prolonged lighting, constant guard presence, limited medical attention and poor food. DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has disputed those accounts, saying families are provided appropriate care in a facility designed for their needs. The Deiver case followed another widely publicized release of a young child from Dilley, underscoring the political sensitivity and public attention on family detention practices.
Legal context and what it means for families
Humanitarian parole is a temporary, discretionary permission to be in the U.S.; it does not grant asylum, lawful permanent residence, or automatic work authorization. Parolees remain in immigration proceedings and may apply to USCIS for employment authorization, but they must still pursue asylum or other relief before immigration courts or agencies. For families and children, release on parole means immediate relief from detention and return to school or medical care, but it does not resolve the underlying immigration claim; ongoing check‑ins and legal filings will determine their long‑term status.
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