The detention of Joel Camas, a 16-year-old Ecuadorian student residing in the Bronx, has generated outrage among human rights organizations and immigrant advocates in the United States. The young man, who has juvenile protection status granted by a family court, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a routine appointment in Manhattan. Detention in the Bronx and Contradictions in the ICE Process. According to ABC News, Camas went to the federal office located at 26 Federal Plaza accompanied by his lawyer and several family members, unaware that he would be detained. According to the same source, Joel Camas arrived in the United States in 2022 with his mother, fleeing violence in Ecuador. In April 2025, a family court in New York granted him Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, a designation that protects minors who have been abandoned or abused by their parents. Despite this, he was detained by ICE under a prior deportation order.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assured international media that both Joel and his mother had received a final deportation order in February 2024. While his mother decided to voluntarily return to Ecuador, the young man remained in the country, under the care of relatives and believing that his SIJ status protected him from deportation.

Official Position and Legal Defense of the Young Ecuadorian

DHS maintains that the deportation order remains in effect and that Camas's detention is in compliance with that order. However, immigrant advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have pointed out that the young man enjoys humanitarian protections that should suspend any removal proceedings. According to the Hindustan Times, Camas's defense filed a habeas corpus petition demanding his immediate release, as well as a temporary restraining order to prevent his transfer to another detention center.

A Minor with a Cut Short Future Between Two Countries

Joel Camas was a high school student in the Bronx and planned to continue his higher education in New York. According to his teachers and classmates, he had adapted well to the education system and participated in community programs for migrant youth. His mother, from Ecuador, has publicly called for his release and stated that her son “only wanted to study and live without fear.”

For now, Camas remains in custody in New York while his legal team seeks to halt his deportation and secure his release. According to CAIR and the ACLU, the case could set a key precedent for thousands of young people with SIJ status who still face vulnerability to federal detention.