LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — Former Las Cruces police officer and country music artist Frank Ray, known for sharing music and family moments on his social media, has found himself in the spotlight for a different reason.
Ray’s recent Facebook post has gained significant attention after his brother-in-law, Juan Nevarez, was detained at El Paso International Airport on Thanksgiving.
Nevarez, a Mexican national who has lived legally in the U.S. for 18 years, was detained along with his teenage son, a U.S. citizen.
Ray, speaking from Nashville, recounted the distressing call he received from his sister on Thanksgiving.
“She was crying and said that she thinks that they’re going to go ahead and just leave soon, because my brother-in-law was just detained at the TSA security,” Ray said.
Nevarez was flagged by TSA, turned over to Border Patrol agents, and detained before ICE was called to apprehend him.
Ray, who typically does not engage in social issues, felt compelled to speak out. “I think it’s just part of a bigger issue, and that’s kind of what’s kind of sparked a fire within me to talk about it,” he said. “I don’t claim to be a social issue advocate by any means, but yeah, when the trouble came knocking on my front door, I thought it was important to use my platform to raise awareness to this.”
Efforts to reach ICE for comment on Nevarez’s detainment are ongoing.
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