LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ray, speaking from Nashville, recounted the distressing call he received from his sister on Thanksgiving. <\/p>\n
“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. <\/p>\n
Nevarez was flagged by TSA, turned over to Border Patrol agents, and detained before ICE was called to apprehend him.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
Efforts to reach ICE for comment on Nevarez’s detainment are ongoing. <\/p>\n