After being missing for almost a week, 15-year-old Emmanuel Gonzalez Garcia was located with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. However, this is not a common case; According to his mother, the boy has autism, but authorities maintain that there is no evidence of his condition.

According to his mother's account, on October 4, Garcia disappeared while selling fruit with her and her sister in Spring Branch, so she filed a missing person's report that same day with the Houston police.

Almost a week later, when they still had not found him, the woman and the FIEL organization held a press conference on October 10 to request help in locating the boy. A social worker assisting the family commented that he had the mentality of a 4 or 5-year-old child.

Shortly after, the Houston Police Department notified the boy's mother that they had found him safe and sound. However, the boy was assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement.

According to initial reports, the family was believed to be undocumented. However, FIEL Houston, an immigrant-led organization, claimed that the Houston Police Department (HPD) made a serious mistake in this situation.

“Instead of looking into a missing person report, instead of trying to find his mom, because Emmanuel is not an unaccompanied youth, his mom is here,” said FIEL Houston Executive Director Cesar Espinosa.

Authorities found the minor and decided to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because, they claim, the minority told them he was a foreigner and homeless.

Gonzalez is currently in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, media reported, and a group of local activists have questioned the Houston Police Department's decision. to contact immigration instead of trying to find his father's whereabouts.