Kentucky
A judge said it was unsafe for a KY teen to return to Guatemala. ICE detained him anyway
Trump orders ICE more illegal immigration deportations in LA, Chicago
President Trump ordered ICE to deliver “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History” by expanding operations in cities led by Democrats.
A Kentucky teen has returned home after more than 20 days in federal custody, despite his status as a special juvenile immigrant awaiting a visa.
Ernesto Manuel-Andres, 18, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a June 4 raid alongside his father at their apartment complex in Bowling Green, according to a local advocate familiar with his case.
In the weeks that followed, a stunned community of teachers, friends and supporters held protests, prayers and vigils, calling for Manuel-Andres’s return. They raised over $30,000 for his bond and legal fees through a GoFundMe, and nonprofit organizers drove 11 hours to Louisiana to visit him while he was detained.
On June 23, a Louisiana judge set Manuel-Andres’ bond at $1,500, the lowest legal limit. A day later, he was released.
In a press release from Fugees Family, an Ohio-based nonprofit that partners with school districts to improve education for immigrants, Manuel-Andres said he was “very happy” to be released and thanked those who supported him.
“I’d like to say ‘Thank you for all of it, for prayers, for support, for everything,’” Manuel-Andres wrote.
But despite community support and a previous Kentucky court order advocates say should protect him from deportation, Manuel-Andres’ future is uncertain.
Gabriel Spellberg, one of Manuel-Andres’ lawyers, said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has the option to appeal the bond order within 30 days, and Manuel-Andres could be re-detained if the Board of Immigration Appeals repeals the Louisiana judge’s bond determination.
Here’s what to know about Manuel-Andres’ case so far.
A Catch-22
Advocates for Manuel-Andres said the Guatemalan native has both special immigrant juvenile (SIJ) status and a grant for deferred action by DHS, which should protect him from removal orders while he awaits a visa. SIJ status is only given to those under 18 who have a valid court order proving abuse, abandonment, neglect or another reason it is not in a minor’s best interests to return to their country of nationality or be reunified with one or both parents.
Manuel-Andres was granted SIJ status by a court in Kentucky but was stuck on an ever-growing waiting list for an available visa, which would allow him to apply for his green card. Manuel-Andres was allowed to stay in the country while awaiting the visa due to a deferred action order, which protected him from deportation and removal proceedings.
As of June 6, the DHS rescinded its policy of granting deferred action to those with SIJ status when a visa is not immediately available.
Spellberg said the teen, like others in the SIJ program who are waiting for visas, are in a Catch-22. If they leave the U.S., they’ll automatically lose SIJ status. But without deferred action or a visa, they’re liable to be arrested on immigration charges.
“Now that there’s no safety during your waiting period, it’s almost like what’s the point of the visa?” Spellberg said. “You’re not protecting these vulnerable populations. A state court has to find that it is not in the young person’s, the juvenile’s, best interest to return to their home country. The suggestion that SIJ grantees should have to return home is preposterous.”
Luma Mufleh, CEO of Fugees Family, said Manuel-Andres began the legal process to receive citizenship over a year and a half ago.
“People say, ‘Well, do it the legal way,’” Mufleh said. “He did. He did do it the legal way, and he doesn’t have a criminal record, he doesn’t even have traffic violations, and he’s 18. He’s a kid.”
Spellberg was “thrilled” Manuel-Andres was released but said waiting for an immigration hearing date could take years. In the meantime, Spellberg said the focus on the case will now be finding other forms of relief that Manuel-Andres could be eligible for in order to further prove his case to remain in the U.S.
‘You could feel the love, the concern’
Weeks earlier, Manuel-Andres had walked the stage at graduation. But on June 4, he sat inside a jail cell in Grayson County.
He had been picked up by ICE officers in a raid meant to arrest another man, who advocates for Manuel-Andres said doesn’t reside at the complex. Instead, Manuel-Andres and his father were arrested and moved from one detention facility to another in an effort to “forum shop,” or move them into a district with a judge more favorable to ICE’s cause, Spellberg said.
Back in Bowling Green, those who knew Manuel-Andres were shocked that the kind, respectful student they knew had been taken by ICE. Leslie Perkins, who taught Manuel-Andres and had attended his graduation, said she cried upon hearing the news.
“Anytime we would get a new student in, Ernesto was one of those students I automatically tried to connect that new student with because I knew that Ernesto would be an exemplary student,” Perkins said. “So they would have a great role model, and he would be just kind to them. That’s the kind of student that Ernesto is.”
Perkins said people from across the political spectrum in Bowling Green are coming together to support Manuel-Andres. A welcome home party was held June 25 as Manuel-Andres arrived back in Bowling Green.
“If there’s one bright spot in this whole scenario, it would be that Bowling Green has definitely come out to support Ernesto,” Perkins said. “I’ve attended two protests. I’ve attended a prayer vigil, and all three of those events, you could feel the love, the concern and the support. People really want to get involved and take action to help Ernesto, and not just Ernesto, but to put a spotlight on so many other kids who’re in the same situation that are being illegally detained.”
Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com.
The Kentucky Football Coaches Association has named its Players of the Year, Linemen of the Year and Coaches of the Year for all 48 districts, eight in each class.
Players of the Year, Linemen of the Year and Coaches of the Year for all six classes will be named during the state finals Dec. 5-6 at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field in Lexington. The KFCA Mr. Football and statewide Coach Haywood Lineman of the Year and Jimmie Reed Coach of the Year awards will be announced in mid-December.
Louisville-area Player of the Year winners are Christian Academy’s Ja’Hyde Brown, North Oldham’s Colin Daniels, Spencer County’s Keyon Davis, Atherton’s Garyon Hobbs, Bullitt Central’s A.J. Lee, Manual’s Gerian Traynor, Male’s Steron Davidson and Trinity’s Zane Johnson.
Louisville-area Lineman of the Year winners are Kentucky Country Day’s Kris Mandy, Christian Academy’s Kellan Hall, Valley’s Josh Vaughan, Spencer County’s Richard Gilbert, Iroquois’ Jeremiah Jackson, Fairdale’s Chaz Tutt, Male’s Christian White and Trinity’s Nate Shields.
Louisville-area Coach of the Year winners are Christian Academy’s Hunter Cantwell, Butler’s Gary Wheeler, Fairdale’s Louis Dover, St. Xavier’s Kevin Wallace, Male’s Chris Wolfe and Oldham County’s Jamie Reed.
Here are the award winners for each district, with Player of the Year listed first and followed by Lineman of the Year and Coach of the Year.
District One – Zayden Kinney (Fulton County), Drake Thorpe (Fulton County), James Bridges (Fulton County); Two – Kace Eastridge (Campbellsville), Kris Mandy (Kentucky Country Day), Dale Estes (Campbellsville); Three – Eddie Bivens (Newport Central Catholic), Will Sandfoss (Newport Central Catholic), Steve Lickert (Newport Central Catholic); Four – Charles Oglesby (Covington Holy Cross), Beckett Meersman (Bishop Brossart), Curt Spencer (Covington Holy Cross); Five – Caden Jones (Sayre), Wyatt Moore (Sayre), Chad Pennington (Sayre); Six – Landen Stiltner (Raceland), Jacob Litteral (Raceland), Michael Salmons (Raceland); Seven – Deakon Partin (Middlesboro), Christian Davis (Middlesboro), Larry French (Middlesboro); Eight – William Shoptaw (Hazard), Caden Thacker (Pikeville), Brian Melvin (Paintsville).
District One – Caden Howard (Crittenden County), Ashton Rodgers (Mayfield), Cliff Dew (Mayfield); Two – Miles Edge (Owensboro Catholic), Caden Conkright (Owensboro Catholic), Robert Eubanks (Hancock County); Three – Kris Hughes (Somerset), Andrew Houk (Green County), John Petett (Monroe County); Four – Tyler King (Lexington Christian), Sasha Wade (Danville), Lawrence Smith (Washington County); Five – Tyler Fryman (Beechwood), Lucas Tillery (Owen County), Steve Tarter (Bracken County); Six – Waylon Abner (Breathitt County), Waylon Abner (Breathitt County), Mark Easterling (Morgan County); Seven – Devan Maynard (Martin County), Preston Shepherd (Knott County Central), Randall Mullins (Knott County Central); Eight – Jonah Bartley (Shelby Valley), Bo Wolford (Belfry), Matt Varney (Belfry).
District One – Wyatt Robbins (Murray), Ryan Walls (Murray), Melvin Cunningham (Murray); Two – Hudson Gumm (Glasgow), Matt Stephens (LaRue County), Josh Robins (Butler County); Three – Ja’Hyde Brown (Christian Academy), Kellan Hall (Christian Academy), Hunter Cantwell (Christian Academy); Four – R.J. Blair (Garrard County), Mark Hosinski (Lexington Catholic), David Clark (Lexington Catholic); Five – Kaleb Evans (Lloyd Memorial), King Lee (Bourbon County), Kyle Niederman (Lloyd Memorial); Six – Jayden Frasure (Russell), Zach Brown (Russell), T.J. Maynard (Russell); Seven – Blake Burnett (Bell County), Spencer Phipps (Bell County), Dudley Hilton (Bell County); Eight – Luke Fetherolf (Lawrence County), Ty Brooks (Lawrence County), Alan Short (Lawrence County).
District One – Avery Thompson (Paducah Tilghman), Ben Myers (Paducah Tilghman), Coby Lewis (Calloway County); Two – Cavalli Pittman (John Hardin), Bryten Close (Taylor County), Josh Boston (Nelson County); Three – Colin Daniels (North Oldham), Josh Vaughan (Valley), Brock Roberts (North Oldham); Four – Keyon Davis (Spencer County), Richard Gilbert (Spencer County), Eddie James (Franklin County); Five – Tayden Lorenzen (Highlands), Max Merz (Highlands), Bob Sphire (Highlands); Six – Logan Music (Johnson Central), Drew Ferguson (Johnson Central), Jesse Peck (Johnson Central); Seven – Seneca Driver (Boyle County), Trashaun Bryant (Wayne County), Justin Haddix (Boyle County); Eight – Cole Stevens (Corbin), Malachi Brown (Corbin), Jacob Saylor (Harlan County).
District One – Markezz Hightower (Madisonville-North Hopkins), J.W. Muster (Owensboro), John Edge (Apollo); Two – Davis Chaney (Greenwood), Zach Jordan (Bowling Green), William Howard (Greenwood); Three – Garyon Hobbs (Atherton), Jeremiah Jackson (Iroquois), Gary Wheeler (Butler); Four – A.J. Lee (Bullitt Central), Chaz Tutt (Fairdale), Louis Dover (Fairdale); Five – Cam O’Hara (Cooper), Noah Reichel (Cooper), Randy Borchers (Cooper); Six – Timmy Emongo (Scott County), Justyn Perez (Woodford County), Dennis Johnson (Woodford County); Seven – Cooper Swaim (West Jessamine), Isaiah Wilkinson (West Jessamine), Scott Marsh (West Jessamine); Eight – Mason Griffin (South Laurel), Brady Hull (Pulaski County), Steve Nelson (North Laurel).
District One – James Bradley (Hopkinsville), Foster Jackson (Hopkinsville), Tyler Brooks (McCracken County); Two – Kayden York (South Warren), Malik Butler (South Warren), Brandon Smith (South Warren); Three – Gerian Traynor (Manual), Josiah Hope (North Hardin), Kevin Wallace (St. Xavier); Four – Steron Davidson (Male), Christian White (Male), Chris Wolfe (Male); Five – Zane Johnson (Trinity), Nate Shields (Trinity), Jamie Reed (Oldham County); Six – Jacob Savage (Ryle), Bo Gay (Ryle), Mike Engler (Ryle); Seven – Darnell Burnside (Tates Creek), Josiah Hernandez (Paul Dunbar), Jon Lawson (Lafayette); Eight – Dakari Talbert (Frederick Douglass), Camden Burke (Madison Central), William Blair (Madison Central).
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration is taking steps to classify a form of kratom, a popular legal stimulant known to possess opioid-like qualities in low doses, as a Schedule I narcotic.
According to a press release on Nov. 5 from Beshear’s office, leaders are targeting the 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) byproduct, making it illegal to sell, possess, or distribute in any isolated or concentrated form.
“We have marked three straight years of declines in overdose deaths in Kentucky, and that is progress we’re committed to building on as we work to protect more lives in the fight against addiction,” said Gov. Beshear. “Deadly and addictive drugs like 7-OH have no place in our communities, and this step will help us get these drugs off the streets and provide us more tools to keep Kentuckians safe.”
Officials wrote that while 7-OH is a naturally occurring component in the kratom plant, it’s only found in small amounts. Highly concentrated forms of it are put in shots, powders, and capsules at dosages that make it highly addictive and dangerous.
State leaders said that back in August, Beshear issued an emergency designation of bromazolam, also known as “designer Xanax,” as a Schedule 1 drug. The Cabinet of Health and Family Services is reportedly working to put 7-OH kratom in the same category alongside heroin, LSD, and fentanyl.
More information about the Beshear administration’s work to ban 7-OH in Kentucky can be found here.
The temperature of Mark Stoops‘ seat has been toasty. Criticism for the Kentucky head coach has not been hard to find, and it was amplified after the Wildcats dropped consecutive SEC games at Kroger Field.
Players and coaches will say they don’t pay attention to the noise, but let’s be real. They’re human. It’s unavoidable. As Big Blue Nation debated on Stoops’ future at Kentucky, his players rallied behind him.
“We hate it. We’re kind of taking it on our shoulders and putting it on ourselves,” Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley said after the game.
Even though Stoops may have lost some fans in recent weeks, he never lost the locker room. Win or loss, they showed up to work because that’s the approaches every single day.
“He’s a players’ coach. All the guys in here love him. All the guys want to fight for him, want to win for him, everything like that. We have a really good thing going in the locker room. You can see our heartbeat that we had tonight,” said Boley.
“Everybody loves Coach Stoops, what he does, and what he stands for, and how he addresses the team in every situation, loss, win, no matter what it is. He’s always the same guy. Loss, win, whatever it is. He’s always the same guy in the locker room. He’s always the same guy talking to us on Mondays, no matter the outcome. And I think every guy respects that and really wants to play for him.”
That feeling has manifested in exceptional play from this Kentucky football team, especially at quarterback. Over Boley’s last three starts at Kroger Field, the redshirt freshman has completed 75-97 (77.3%) passes for 756 yards (252 per game) and seven touchdowns. His play has elevated his teammates, giving Kentucky a shocking amount of late-season momentum.
For years, Kentucky relied on transfer portal players to start under center. For the first time in a long time, the Wildcats have a proficient passer they recruited from the high school ranks. Stoops is proud to see Boley develop into the player they believed he could become.
“I’ve believed in Cutter for a long time, for many years, three, four years. I’m really proud of him, the growth that he’s making, and the improvement that he’s making each and every week,” said Stoops. “It gives everybody some hope.”
Hope. That was hard to find around this Kentucky football team, but inside the locker room, it never wavered. That hope turned into unshakable confidence in a dominant victory over Florida.
“To be honest, this whole week, this whole day, we came with juice,” Boely said. “Everybody was excited, and everybody was ready to play. We had felt, not that we had won this game before we came out here, but we were so confident. We had a heartbeat tonight.”
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