Overview
- Multiple local reports say Johan Sandoval was detained by ICE on Friday after agents stopped him near a Clifton Park residence and transferred him to an immigration facility.
- Sandoval is an international student from the Dominican Republic on a full athletic scholarship and a two-time All-SIAC baseball honoree who played a full season for Savannah State.
- Savannah State President Jermaine Whirl says he is working with Sandoval’s family and the student’s immigration attorney, and the university has declined to release further student details because of federal privacy rules.
- A GoFundMe started by Sandoval’s sister seeks money for bond and immigration legal fees, and ICE has not publicly confirmed the detention or listed Sandoval in its online detainee locator, which the agency says can lag after holiday arrests.
- The case underscores how student visa paperwork such as a current I‑20 and F‑1 status can determine legal custody, and it may lead to immediate legal fights over bond, representation, and the student’s ability to resume studies.