Port St. Lucie High School senior, football player in ICE custody

Yasmine JulmissePORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —

A Port St. Lucie High School senior and star athlete is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Eighteen-year-old Emmanuel Nelson is a football player, a wrestler and a friend to many at the school, and Tuesday makes almost a week since the student has been in ICE’s custody following a traffic stop on his way to school.

According to a Port St. Lucie police report, police stopped Nelson Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. for traveling 45 miles per hour in an active school zone, which had a speed limit of 20 miles per hour.

The reporting officer said they ran Nelson’s information through D.A.V.I.D., a Driver and Vehicle Information Database, which showed the student as a non-U.S. citizen.

The officer then contacted ICE, arrested Nelson and placed him on ICE detainer.

The senior is now at an ICE detention center in Broward County.

An ICE spokesperson sent WPBF 25 a statement saying in part:

Nelson legally entered the United States Jan. 16, 2016, but failed to comply with the terms of his admission and is now in violation of immigration law. He will remain in ice custody pending removal proceedings.

A family spokesperson said ever since Nelson was lawfully allowed into the country under the Haitian Family Reunification Program, he’s been being petitioned for by a U.S. citizen step-parent and the appropriate documentation was submitted for permanent residency.

The spokesperson said that the application is pending, stating that it sometimes takes years because there are millions of applications.

During that time, Nelson was issued a valid employment authorization document and a Social Security number.

As a result, he was enrolled in school and had a valid driver’s license while waiting for the application to be approved.

The spokesperson added that people are considered minors until the age of 21 for immigration purposes.

The St. Lucie County School District released this statement:

St. Lucie Public Schools does not comment on immigration enforcement matters, as they fall under the authority of federal agencies and are outside the school district’s jurisdiction.

There’s been an outpouring of support for Nelson on social media from the Port St. Lucie High School community.