Overview
- Fifteen-year-old Emmanuel Gonzalez-Garcia, reported missing Oct. 4, was found by Houston police during an Oct. 5 welfare check but was placed with the Office of Refugee Resettlement after officers sought help from ICE.
- The teen remains in federal custody and was scheduled for appendix surgery Monday, according to FIEL Houston, with his mother allowed limited contact and still not told his exact location.
- HPD says officers spent more than four hours trying to identify the boy, who said he was homeless and from another country, before contacting ICE; the agency says he was never in ICE custody.
- Because his mother lacks legal status, advocates say ORR requires a vetted U.S. sponsor for his release, a process that could take weeks and that they argue misclassifies him as unaccompanied.
- Questions persist about HPD protocol, including whether CPS was contacted as policy suggests, and FIEL plans to press city officials and consider legal action to expedite reunification.