“Alim Garipov, was ‘forcefully’ arrested by ICE at Hobby Airport,” Elizabeth Chapman Sun, a Bellaire High School teacher, posted to Facebook on Saturday. “He has been in the country legally for five years and has a pending asylum case [from Russia].”
By Sunday morning, Chapman Sun’s call for support had drawn more than 575 likes, 240 comments and nearly 600 shares.
“Is there anyone who knows how we can help?” Chapman Sun wrote. “He is the kindest, most sensitive boy. He started a Russian Culture Club at Bellaire and did the sweetest celebration for International Women’s Day. He has worked so, so hard to learn English.”
Chapman Sun asked if there might be a Houston authority figure who could intervene.
“He is a kid. He has done everything right and more. He was afraid of making grammar mistakes in class; I’m sure being thrown around like a dangerous criminal is terrifying to him,” she wrote.
Houston Airports did not immediately respond to Chron’s request for comment.
The case has also drawn the attention of U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, who represents the state’s 7th Congressional District in Greater Houston. Fletcher addressed Garipov’s detention in a Facebook post Saturday.
“Thank you to the many people who have reached out to me today and shared your concerns about reports of a TX07 student detained at Hobby Airport,” Fletcher said. “I am working with his family and am in touch with the federal agencies involved. My team and I will do all we can to help.”
As community members continued advocating for Garipov, ICE offered a different account of his immigration status. On Saturday night, a spokesperson confirmed that Garipov was detained Friday, alleging that he had overstayed his visa.
“Garipov was admitted into the U.S. May 7, 2022, as a non-immigrant with permission to remain in the country no later than Nov. 6, 2022, but he failed to depart,” the spokesperson wrote, adding that the Trump administration considers stricter immigration enforcement necessary to protect national security and public safety.
ICE said a pending application does not confer legal status in the U.S.
“If a person enters our country illegally, they are subject to detention or deportation. Each illegal alien receives due process,” the spokesperson wrote. “Receiving a ‘work permit’ does NOT confer any form of lawful status or prevent ICE from arresting or deporting an illegal alien from the country.”