A high school football player who was detained for possible deportation just weeks before he was to graduate from a Tucson high school was released from immigration lockup, a family friend said Wednesday.
Lorena Rodriguez says in a Facebook post that Thomas Torres was released Tuesday night. Torres was taken to the United States from Mexico as a toddler and after his family returned to Mexico, Torres went to live with the Rodriguez family. The Arizona Daily Star also reported the young man's release.
"OPERATION THOMAS COMPLETE!" Rodriguez declared on her Facebook page late Tuesday.
"I want to give a huge thanks to every single Desert View student, teacher and faculty member who stood by our side throughout this traumatic experience," said Rodriguez, who launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for Torres's legal costs.
"Thomas Torres has been released and is finally back home."
The circumstances of the 18-year-old high school senior's release are unclear, and it's unknown whether he'll graduate May 22 as scheduled. Rodriguez did not immediately return several telephone calls and email messages seeking additional information. Torres could not be located for comment.
"People like Thomas are needed in this country," Rodriguez wrote on the fundraising site. "He's a hardworking young man willing to better his future."
Friends said Torres played on the Desert View High School football team and regularly worked several jobs, including busing tables at a restaurant and yardwork.
Although deportation proceedings involving high school students who have reached adulthood are not uncommon, the outpouring of support from Torres' classmates seemed unusual. A large portion of the population in Tucson's southern district, where the school is located, is Mexican-American.
Torres' detention last Thursday prompted about 120 classmates to protest outside the Pima County Sheriff's Office on Monday.
Sheriff's deputies contacted the Border Patrol after Torres admitted during a traffic stop that he was in the U.S. illegally. The sheriff's office said Wednesday it had no additional information about his case.
The Border Patrol has confirmed that it initially held Torres, but said on Wednesday it has since transferred him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said she was investigating the status of Torres' case.
Here’s a rundown of the AP’s latest Election 2024 coverage plans, including live video and text plans, our explanatory journalism and highlights from previous cycles. Candidate schedules are included when available. All times are EDT.
You can find US Election 2024-The Daily Rundown in your CMS or in AP Newsroom.
For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan. Find our election coverage in the U.S. Elections hub in AP Newsroom.
To sign up for our Politics Advisory, delivered afternoons Monday through Friday to your inbox, click here.
TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — Jurors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial heard for the first time how and why Michael Cohen’s reimbursement for payment the Stormy Daniels’ payment was entered as a legal expense. Newsroom Ready and Consumer Ready edits. Sent on May 6.
BIDEN-ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS — President Joe Biden recognized Army with the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for besting the other service academies in football. Army beat both Navy and Air Force last season. Newsroom Ready and Consumer Ready edits. Sent on May 6.
7 a.m. — Live NY Trump Pool coverage outside of Trump Tower in New York is planned.
8:30 a.m. — Live Pool coverage from the courthouse hallway in New York is planned.
8:45 a.m. — Live AP coverage outside of the courthouse in New York is planned.
11:15 a.m. – Live Mandated C-SPAN Pool coverage of President Joe Biden's remarks at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
1 p.m. — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigns for Biden in Georgia. Live coverage TBC.
1:30 p.m. — Live unrestricted Pool coverage of Biden with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the White House.
3:30 p.m. — First lady Jill Biden honors those who served during World War I in Washington. Live coverage TBC.
TBC — Live coverage of Indiana's primary races.
ELECTION 2024-BERNIE SANDERS — Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders. SENT: 510 words, photos, audio.
ELECTION 2024-SENATE REPUBLICANS — Frustrated by the seemingly endless cash flowing to Democrats, Republicans aiming to retake the Senate have rallied around candidates with plenty of their own money. SENT: 1,350 words, photos.
TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — Donald Trump returns to his hush money trial facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations as prosecutors gear up to summon big-name witnesses in the final weeks of the case. Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump, and Michael Cohen, the former Trump lawyer and personal fixer, have yet to take the stand. SENT: 660 words, video, photos. UPCOMING: 990 words after trial resumes at 9:30 a.m.
BIDEN-BERNIE SANDERS — Sen. Bernie Sanders could be President Biden’s most powerful emissary to progressives and to younger voters. The 82-year-old senator is determined to do what he can to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the Oval Office even as he bluntly warns that the crisis in Gaza could be Biden’s “Vietnam” and criticizes the president for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. SENT: 1,620 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.
BIDEN-HOLOCAUST — President Biden is set to issue a forceful condemnation of antisemitism during a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust at a time when the Hamas attack on Israel and controversy over the war in Gaza have sparked new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric toward Jews. SENT: 690 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-INDIANA — A Ukrainian-born congresswoman who recently opposed sending aid to her war-torn country is defending her seat against a fellow Republican who has outpaced her in spending and fundraising. Several other competitive and expensive primary races will be decided Tuesday. SENT: 490 words, photo. UPCOMING: Last polls close at 7 p.m.
ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-ANTISEMITISM — Donald Trump is accusing Joe Biden of offering a weak response to antisemitism, wielding the clashes on colleges campuses over the war in Gaza as a campaign issue. But Trump’s attacks ignore his own long history of rhetoric that invokes the language of Nazi Germany and plays on stereotypes of Jews and politics. SENT: 870 words, photos.
May 7 — Indiana presidential primary.
May 14 — Maryland presidential primary, Nebraska presidential primary and West Virginia presidential primary.
May 21 — California 20th Congressional District special election, Kentucky presidential primary, Oregon presidential primary.
May 23 — Idaho Democratic caucuses.
May 28 — Texas state primary runoff.
For coverage and planning questions, the Nerve Center can be reached at +1 800 845 8450 (ext. 1600). For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call +1 844 777 2006.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before departing Manhattan criminal court, Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, Pool)
US Election 2024-The Daily Rundown
US Election 2024-The Daily Rundown
