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Felipe Z.V.: University of Florida student self-deports to Colombia after ICE detention

Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, a University of Florida food and resource economics student, left for Colombia after a traffic stop led to ICE detention over a disputed visa status change. His mother says he is recovering physically and emotionally.

Mar 28, 2025Gainesville, FLCountry of origin: Colombia

Felipe Z.V.: University of Florida student self-deports to Colombia after ICE detention
Photo via NBC News

Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, a food and resource economics student who transferred to the University of Florida after graduating from Santa Fe College in 2023, was arrested by Gainesville police on March 28 for driving with an expired license and registration. He was turned over to ICE custody and held at the Krome Detention Center in Miami before voluntarily departing for Colombia on April 6, according to an ICE spokesperson. ICE said his F-1 student status had been terminated in October 2024 for failing to enroll in SEVIS, though a University of Florida spokesperson said he was enrolled both last fall and currently. His case was among nearly 300 international student visa terminations amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, and appears to be the first such case involving a Florida college student. His mother, Claudia Velázquez, said he is undergoing physical and emotional recovery in Colombia, and Rep. Maxwell Frost criticized the action as part of the broader crackdown on foreign students.

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