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W&L scholarship student and father detained by ICE during Florida traffic stop

Sep 2, 2026·Location: St. Johns County, FL

Country of origin: Venezuela

W&L scholarship student and father detained by ICE during Florida traffic stop
Photo via GoFundMe

Luis Alejandro Olarte Gosling, a 19-year-old Washington and Lee University sophomore attending on a full QuestBridge scholarship, and his father Luis Felipe Olarte Lugo, 55, were detained by ICE and Border Patrol agents during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 in St. Johns County, Florida. The two were driving from Orlando to Virginia so Luis Alejandro could begin his sophomore year, having chosen to drive rather than fly due to fears about ICE activity at airports. The family are Venezuelan asylum seekers with a pending immigration court case who say they held valid work permits, attended every required appointment, and have never been arrested. Their car was towed, and both remain held at Baker Correctional Institute in Sanderson, Florida, where they have reported extreme heat and insufficient food. A GoFundMe was set up by the family to support them, and Washington and Lee University said it is 'aware of the situation and concerned for the individual and his family.'

Timeline

Sep 2, 2026—Family and university report both remain in custody at Baker Correctional Institute, citing extreme heat and insufficient food
Sep 1, 2026—Luis Alejandro Olarte and his father Luis Felipe Olarte were detained by ICE and Border Patrol during a traffic stop on I-95 in St. Johns County, Florida
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