CINCINNATI — A 19-year-old local high school graduate who received his diploma last month is now in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Butler County Jail, facing deportation to a country he barely knows.

Emerson Colindres came to the United States with his family from Honduras over a decade ago seeking asylum. He has no criminal history.

Their asylum case and subsequent appeal were denied, with a final removal order issued in 2023, but the family was never instructed to leave and had been regularly checking in with ICE.

Immigration officials put an app on his phone to check in with location and a picture, and sometimes the family is requested to check in with ICE in person.

What happened this week

Colindres and his mother were told they needed to come in for a ch

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