The new year begins with good news for Connecticut high school student Mario Aguilar, who, after fearing deportation for months, has been granted asylum by an immigration judge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the sophomore in September when he went to court to face charges after a traffic accident the month prior.
Aguilar had enrolled in Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven last year, and after he’d missed multiple days of school, teachers and peers alike became worried about where he was. It wasn’t until after the school principal made an announcement that ICE had detained a student that people became aware of Aguilar’s arrest. The school then rallied and advocated for him to be released and to come home; teachers even attempted to send him homework so he wouldn’t fall behind.
"Deportation officers arrested Mario Andres Aguilar-Castanon, an illegally-present citizen of Guatemala, at the Milford Superior Court for immigration violations," ICE spokesman John Mohan said after the student’s arrest. ICE officials said that the teenager had been arrested after the accident in March and released with an order to reappear in court, an action, they said, he failed to take.
Related: School fights back after ICE detains Connecticut high school sophomore
Even after Aguilar’s homework was refused and returned, supporters did not lose hope. Earlier this month, news stories swept the media focusing on a video students made to share Aguilar’s story. Teachers even showed up in court to support the student as he prepared for his asylum hearing, for which the judge said he would have a decision by Dec. 12. After weeks of waiting for a decision and sharing “Free Mario” protest posters, students were met with good news: A judge has granted Aguilar asylum, at least for now. Aguilar had fled persecution from gangs in Guatemala, making his way to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor.
"He is on his way home," attorney Dalia Fuleihan told CNN. Supporters publicly rallied for Aguilar’s release, and only hours later the judge agreed, releasing Aguilar from ICE custody. However, while this news comes as a victory for now, there is still a chance for things to change through appeal. The Department of Homeland Security has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision, and “if they appeal, proceedings could continue for up to a year,” CNN reported. Given this administration’s cruel disdain for immigrants, Aguilar and supporters may not be resting easy. But, for now, he’s home.
The school’s assistant principal Ann Brillante told CNN that Aguilar’s inability to access his homework while he was detained has resulted in his falling behind in his classes, but that once he returns to school, his teachers will do their best to bring him up to speed. "It's urgent," she said. "Every minute counts in terms of learning English and in terms of progressing towards graduation."