Teen Detained After Speeding Stop Faces Uncertain Immigration Future

On December 30, 2025, an Alabama state trooper stopped 18-year-old Elder Nain Chavez-Carranza in Albertville for speeding and driving without a license. The trooper notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leading ICE to arrest Chavez-Carranza under the claim that he was in the United States illegally. He has been held at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana for more than 218 days, with his removal proceedings still pending.

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Chavez-Carranza entered the United States on February 2, 2022 and was later granted Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, a classification created by the Immigration Act of 1990 to allow abused, abandoned, or neglected unaccompanied minors to apply for lawful permanent residency. In March, Chavez-Carranza applied for deferred action, but missed three required fingerprint appointments because he was detained, further delaying any possible relief.

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While incarcerated, Chavez-Carranza lives in a cell with 54 other men, works as a painter for $1 per day, and has been unable to receive proper dental care for his orthodontic braces. Pastor Andy Yarnell, who visited the facility on July 21 and left on July 22, described the environment as “child abuse” and highlighted the teen’s missed schooling, noting that he is now “half a year behind.” His former English teacher, Carmen Bahena, said his detention has devastated both his education and his close-knit peer group. A community fundraiser has raised more than $7,400 to support his legal battle.

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• “My brother is not a criminal,” — Mayuri Chavez

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• “Unfortunately, it's not an actual status,” — Dalaney Mecham, said immigration officials started removal proceedings following the December 30 traffic s

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• “The first day, you know, you could see some sadness in his eyes, but we joked around a lot about things a normal teenager would talk about,” — Andy Yarnell

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• “He’s not getting proper medical care for his braces, he’s making one dollar a day and we are not giving him the education that he needs. So yeah, I would call that child abuse — it’s horrible.” — Andy Yarnell

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