After being held for two weeks in a detention center in Texas, Gainesville High School senior Sebastian Jimenez Peroza and his mother, Antmary Peroza Barrios, landed in Jacksonville International Airport.
Their release on bonds of $5,000 each came after federal immigration agents detained the family, including Sebastian’s sister, Fabiana Morillo Peroza, and Sebastian’s stepfather, in Gainesville. Officers kept Sebastian and his mother together, but separated the other two in Florida.
The family immigrated from Venezuela nearly 10 years ago due to Peroza Barrios’ social activism against the Venezuelan government..
As soon as they landed on Friday, the emotion of their arrival filled the airport terminal where Sebastian’s football coach, Ashour Peera, held tightly to Sebastian's arms after their reunion. Sebastian and his mother, Antmary, were also received by close family friends who were trying to ease the process of their return home.
“The detention center brings out feelings you shouldn’t be having,” Sebastian said.
Antmary expressed relief as she mentioned that Sebastian and she were together most of the time at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.
“Even though he had a pass to go out on his own, as a protective mother, I would never leave his side,” Peroza Barrios said. “We were always together from sunrise to sunset.”
The Peroza family said support from family, close friends, and the community gave them hope and kept them grounded during their detention– especially as Sebastian’s high school classmates and their families actively spoke out about the difficult situation during moments of deep uncertainty.
Jimenez Peroza and Peroza Barrios’ arrival in Florida comes two days after immigration advocates protested in front of the Gainesville Police Department building over a new general order issued by GPD saying department officers must report certain interactions with people they suspect are “unauthorized aliens.” The order states that characteristics such as limited English proficiency are not sufficient on their own to justify an investigation but may contribute to an officer’s reasonable suspicion depending on the circumstances..
The family’s detention came amid a national increase in immigration arrests. Recent reports by the Deportation Data Project based at University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles showed U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested almost 50,000 individuals in July.
It’s unclear why immigration officers detained the family, whose members, according to a source familiar with the case, had applied for asylum. . An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on why the family was arrested.
The news of the family’s detention prompted an outpouring of support from students at Gainesville High School and also a display of the team's football helmet at a Gainesville City Commission meeting on Thursday. Shortly after the arrest, a family friend launched a GoFundMe fundraiser, which has raised more than $20,000 as of Saturday.
The Peroza family awaits an update on Morillo Peroza’s immigration case. However, immigration officials released the stepfather under a $6,500 bond, but his location is not to be determined.
