Luis Fernando Cabrera Chavarria’s life in Austin had become a steady routine that started and ended with his 2-year-old nephew.
Chavarria woke up early to take him to a babysitter while Chavarria’ sister, Holi, slept after a late shift. Chavarria went to school, then soccer practice and work at a neighborhood Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Then, finally, home to play with his nephew and fall asleep — but not before a pillow fight.
Chavarria’s nephew was among the first to notice his absence.
Where was “Nano?” he asked his mom, using a nickname for Chavarria. Why was his room empty?
Holi, who asked Austin Current to withhold her last name because of deportation concerns, doesn’t know when her brother is coming home. No one does.
Chavarria, who is set to graduate from Northeast Early College High School in June, was detained by immigration officials on May 1. He is being held at the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center, awaiting a hearing, weeks before he is expected to graduate high school.
His detention comes as immigration enforcement has sharply escalated under the Trump administration, sweeping up increasing numbers of children and teenagers across the country. Advocates and school leaders say the arrests have spread fear through immigrant communities and contributed to enrollment declines in public schools, including in Austin ISD, where district leaders have linked immigration crackdowns to at least part of the loss of more than 3,000 students this year. Federal data analyzed by The Marshall Project and reported last month found ICE detained more than 6,200 children during Trump’s second term, a dramatic increase from previous years.
The Northeast Early College High School community, as well as members of the St. James Episcopal Church, where Chavarria and his family are members, rallied to support him this week.
“It hit hard because he means a lot to the whole community,” said Chris Milk, who became a godfather to Chavarria years after Chavarria arrived in the U.S. in 2019 from Mexico. “He was our child. We want him to know we are with him and he is part of a larger family, he is part of our family, he is part of my family and we are scared.”
Chavarria and his family entered the U.S. in July of 2019. They were granted asylum under the Biden administration. They made their way to Austin with the help of a friend the family met on their journey to the U.S. With the aid of a migrant support center, the family settled into the community, and Chavarria quickly went to school.
The arrest
Chavarria was on his way home on May 1 when he was stopped by a state trooper for an expired registration sticker, Holi said. The family had just saved enough money to renew the registration, and she was waiting to do it on her next day off.
As he was being transported to immigration custody, Chavarria was allowed to call his sister. As the night dragged on, Holi watched Chavarria’s phone location move toward San Antonio and come to a rest at an immigration facility. On May 3, he was transferred to the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center. At the time, Holi said, Chavarria told her that he had only been given a piece of bread and water since his arrest.
“I told him to stay calm, that I was going to see what I could do from the outside and contact family friends,” Holi said in Spanish. She called her church, she called friends at Casa Marianella, the migrant support center that welcomed the family to Austin, and learned how to deposit money for his phone calls and food.
In their phone calls, Chavarria told her it was cold, and he was hungry, unable to fill up with the little food provided. Holi said he claimed he could buy instant soup and chips, but he had to wait for his turn to eat on one plate shared between detainees.
“I started to cry, but I didn’t want him to hear me through the phone,” Holi said. “I feel terrible because it is like something is happening to my 2-year-old baby. It is like when they are in that stage when they are learning to walk, and they fall, and they cry, and you feel bad too because your baby fell. That is how I feel with my brother.”
A statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirms Chavarria is in custody after being arrested by ICE San Antonio May 1. “Cabrera Chavarria was encountered by officers and he freely admitted to having no legal basis or documentation to remain in the U.S.” the statement said, adding he would remain in custody pending immigration proceedings.
“Being in detention is a choice,” the statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The agency said in the statement that immigrants without proper documentation were encouraged to “self-deport” through the Trump administration’s program.
Community rallies in support
At St. James Episcopal Church and at school, word quickly spread about his detention.
As the week began at Northeast Early College High School, Jose Emilio Araujo noticed that his friend, who sat at the table near him in English, was no longer there.
Scrolling on social media, he found out why.
“I was pretty sad and surprised,” Araujo said.
He and his friends are trying to remain focused on graduation and their own future, but are worried about their Chavarria.
“We have mixed feelings about happiness, what we are going to do in the future, what we have done these past years,” Araujo said. “Trying to imagine what Luis is feeling, it’s kind of unfair what he is dealing with right now.”
Joseph Perez, another student, met Chavarria at a soccer game when the two were starting high school. Though Chavarria was playing for an opposing team, Perez introduced himself and the two became good friends. The pair now play on the school’s varsity soccer team that brought home the district championship in 2025, where Chavarria plays the role of goalie.
“When I realized what happened, I could not believe it,” Perez said in Spanish. “It was out of nowhere. It scared me because it happened to my close friend and I feel like it could happen to me too at any moment.”
Chavarria’s friends and community members this week have worked with Holi to organize a demonstration and create a virtual fundraiser to pay for legal fees. On Thursday, Holi said two attorneys were willing to take on the case. Chavarria has been told he would speak with a judge within two weeks, but the date remains to be determined.
“We plan to fight until the end,” Perez said in Spanish at a community gathering Thursday across the street from their school, where about two dozen people showed up in support.
Family and friends erupted when Chavarria called Holi during the rally. Their chants grew louder, hoping to encourage Chavarria to stay strong.
Chavarria’s nephew was there, too. He played ball with different people, waiting for Nano.
