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Deported SIJS holder returned to U.S. after settlement, reunites with daughter

Aug 5, 2026·Location: Raleigh, NC

Country of origin: Honduras

Deported SIJS holder returned to U.S. after settlement, reunites with daughter
Photo via Instagram

Jose Eliezer Martinez-Andino, a 20-year-old Honduran who came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor in 2020 and held Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, was detained by immigration officers in March while traveling through Montana for his job as an auto mechanic in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite holding legal status that should have protected him from removal, he was held across multiple detention centers for over 10 days without access to his attorneys and was coerced into signing voluntary departure paperwork he says was never properly explained. He was deported to Honduras on April 10, separating him from his young U.S. citizen daughter. Federal Judge Beryl Howell found he had likely been denied due process and ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return. He was flown to McAllen, Texas in August but was then held for weeks by CBP and ICE at the Port Isabel Detention Center before his lawyers reached a settlement securing his release, allowing him to return to Raleigh to reunite with his family.

Timeline

Aug 5, 2026—Flown to McAllen, Texas, then held at Port Isabel Detention Center before settlement secured his release
Jun 24, 2026—Federal judge ruled he was likely denied due process and ordered DHS to facilitate his return
Apr 10, 2026—Deported to Honduras after being coerced into signing voluntary departure forms
Mar 18, 2026—Detained by immigration officers while traveling through Montana for work
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