(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) The Detroit district has joined a fast-growing chorus of officials and advocates calling for the release of four students from Western International High School who were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on November 20, 2025, and are now being held with family members at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. In a letter sent December 9, 2025, district leaders, state lawmakers, and a member of Congress urged ICE to free the teenagers so they can return to class, stay with their families, and continue their asylum cases outside detention.
Who was detained and why this matter has drawn attention
The students — Kerly Mariangel Sosa Rivero, Antony Janier Peña Sosa, Mor Ba, and Santiago Jesus Zamora Perez — were taken into custody along with their parents when ICE officers arrived at their home while searching for a different person, according to the letter.
Supporters say the family members were picked up without a warrant, a detail that has fueled anger in the school community and drawn attention from local and federal officials. Officials describe the arrests as part of a harsher enforcement push under the current administration.
Legal status and school impact
The letter, backed by the Detroit Public Schools Community District and key lawmakers, stresses that the families are not hiding from immigration authorities but are instead in the middle of the legal process.
- The families are seeking asylum and have followed instructions from immigration officers and the courts.
- Advocates say the students have pending asylum applications and work permits.
- Teachers describe the students as respectful, disciplined, and engaged in their education.
These cases fall under the broader asylum system overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. For context, see the official USCIS asylum information: https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/asylum.
Signatories urging release
The letter’s signatories include city, state, and federal officials who are adding political pressure on ICE:
- U.S. Representative: Rashida Tlaib
- Detroit City Councilmember: Gabriela Santiago-Romero
- Michigan state Senators: Erika Geiss, Stephanie Chang, Mary Cavanagh, Jeremy Moss, Sylvia Santana, Darrin Camilleri
- Michigan state Representatives: Mai Xiong, Veronica Paiz, Stephanie Young
By joining the Detroit district in a formal appeal, they bring the weight of multiple offices to bear on the Dilley facility — one of the largest family detention sites in the country.
School and community effects
The letter highlights how the detentions have disrupted both the students’ education and the stability of their classmates and teachers at Western International High School.
- Educators report the four teenagers were active in class and followed school rules.
- Their sudden absence has left many students frightened that their own families could be next.
- Local analysis (VisaVerge.com) suggests arrests like this often send a message of fear through immigrant communities, especially when done without a warrant.
Public statements and reactions
Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero was blunt in demanding release:
“ICE must release them immediately so they can continue their education, keep their families together, and pursue their asylum cases with dignity.”
Supporters say the phrase “with dignity” reflects concern that detaining teenagers and parents in a remote center undermines the fairness of the asylum process.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib criticized the enforcement more strongly:
“I am demanding their immediate release. Our children deserve safety, human dignity, the love of their families, and the freedom to pursue their dreams without being terrorized by a system that treats them as disposable.”
Her use of the word “terrorized” underscores how sharply some officials view current tactics and the effect on teenagers who grew up in the U.S. and consider Detroit home.
Community organizing and policy asks
Community organizers moved quickly to turn outrage into public pressure.
- Local advocacy group 482Forward, focused on education justice and immigrant students, called on residents to pack the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board meeting on December 9, 2025 — the same day the letter was sent.
- The group is urging the board to adopt more comprehensive sanctuary policies to help families feel safe sending children to school and attending school events while their immigration status is pending.
Advocates want sanctuary rules that would:
- Limit information sharing with immigration authorities
- Make it explicit that ICE officers are not welcomed on school grounds without strict protections
- Protect students and families engaging with public agencies
Broader legal and policy implications
Immigration lawyers and advocates say this case fits a broader pattern of stepped-up enforcement, especially against families in the asylum pipeline who lack permanent status.
- They note that pending asylum applications and work permits generally indicate the government is aware of the family and is processing their claims through civil immigration courts.
- When such families are detained, attorneys argue it can blur the distinction between enforcement aimed at serious public-safety threats and broad actions that sweep up people with otherwise clean records.
Officials who support tougher enforcement counter that no one is exempt from immigration law and that removals can be part of maintaining control at the border and interior. ICE has not publicly detailed its reasoning in this case, nor has it responded to each point raised by the Detroit district and lawmakers.
What happens next
For the four Western International High School students, the immediate question is whether ICE leadership will accept the request for release so they can continue their asylum claims outside detention.
Possible outcomes:
- ICE grants release:
- The teenagers return to Detroit, resume school, and prepare for immigration hearings with their lawyers.
- ICE denies release:
- They may remain at the Dilley center for weeks or months, far from teachers and friends now rallying around them.
- Their case could become a larger flashpoint in the national debate over treatment of children and families seeking protection.
The families’ supporters say that, without a public explanation from ICE, they are left to assume this reflects a stricter enforcement line against asylum seekers in general — a concern with implications for many immigrant families across the country.
Detroit officials, educators and lawmakers urged ICE to release four Western International High School students detained Nov. 20, 2025, and held with family at the Dilley center in Texas. The families, pursuing asylum and holding pending applications and work permits, were reportedly taken during a search for another person without a warrant. Signatories argue detentions disrupted education, spread fear in immigrant communities and call for sanctuary policies and immediate release to allow cases to proceed outside detention.
