More than 100 students rallied Tuesday outside of Houston ISD’s Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center calling for the release of their classmate, 18-year-old Mauro Henriquez, from detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Henriquez’s family says despite having an asylum claim, he and his father were detained on Dec. 16 and have been held at ICE’s Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe for 50 days. They say neither Henriquez nor his father have criminal records and were complying with required court check-ins and legal immigration processes.
Sam Houston student Luis Barrios says Henriquez, the captain of the school’s soccer team, has a right to be a student there.
“He’s trying to do something with his life and I say he deserves that opportunity,” Barrios said.
In a statement to Houston Public Media, an ICE spokesperson confirmed the detention of Henriquez and his father. The agency says both have received “full due process under the law and been ordered deported.”
The spokesperson added that Henriquez’s father, Mauro Henriquez-Alfaro, was previously ordered removed and deported to Honduras in July 2008 for illegally entering the U.S.
“The media and the public need to understand that employment authorization does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States,” the ICE spokesperson also wrote in an email. “It is a permission to work, not a green card or visa, and does not grant lawful status or shield illegal aliens from immigration enforcement actions.”
Tuesday afternoon’s rally was the latest in the Houston area as students across Texas are hosting their own demonstrations protesting ICE. On Tuesday morning, students at Elkins High School in Missouri City walked out of class to speak up against ICE, and last week Conroe High School students joined nationwide protests against the federal agency, which has ramped up its enforcement of immigration laws under President Donald Trump.
RELATED: Hundreds gather in Galveston for anti-ICE protest
The protests have followed the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by ICE agents in Minnesota. And they come as some of Texas’ top elected officials, along with the Texas Education Agency, try to crack down on student demonstrations.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has historically expressed support for free speech, said during a Wednesday event in Houston that the “reality of the law of free speech is more complex.”
“You don’t have free speech to say and act any way you want to, anywhere you want to, anytime you want to,” Abbott said. “The Supreme Court has been very clear about free speech of students, and that free speech of students does not include leaving the school to go and protest.”
On Friday, Abbott directed Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate a walkout held in Austin ISD.
“AISD gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest,” Abbott posted to X. “Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination.”
Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
Attorney General Ken Paxton has demanded AISD hand over information regarding policies related to allowing students to leave campus, excused absence policies, security protocols and internal communications regarding the situation. Paxton says his office will investigate the use of public funds and whether any laws were violated.
Abbott escalated his calls for consequences for “disruptive walkouts” Tuesday morning.
“Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune for criminal behavior,” Abbott wrote in another social media post. “We are also looking into stripping the funding of schools that abandon their duty to teach our kids the curriculum required by law. More to come.”
By Tuesday night, Morath rolled out official guidance outlining severe consequences for students, teachers and staff who “participate in inappropriate political activism.”
The consequences for students, teachers and districts for facilitating walkouts include: loss of attendance-based funding if students are not properly marked absent, teacher investigations that could result in the loss of their license and school system investigations with sanctions that include a state takeover of the district.
RELATED: After anti-ICE school walkout, Midland ISD police seek to identity organizers
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has controlled Houston ISD since June 2023, initiating the takeover after one high school received a string of failing academic ratings from the agency.
Abbott was asked at Wednesday’s event in Houston about how the TEA might investigate districts and teachers to find them culpable of facilitating a student walkout. Abbott said that would be determined by Morath.
The governor added that districts could be found liable for accidents at protests.
“I’m telling you, if there’s any student that gets run over because of a protest that was allowed by the high school to take place, I fully expect the school district and the leaders to be held legally responsible for that,” Abbott said.
Houston ISD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Today, in classrooms across Texas, tomorrow’s leaders are learning the foundational, critical thinking skills and knowledge necessary for lifelong learning, serving as the bedrock for the future success of our state and nation,” the TEA stated in its news release. “It is in this spirit that school systems have been reminded of their duty and obligation to ensure that their students are both safe and that they attend school, with consequences for students for unexcused absences.”
Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
“He just doesn’t understand why he’s been there for so long”
Henriquez’s soccer coach at Sam Houston, Miguel Gusar, described him as a true leader and great friend. Gusar says he visited Henriquez two weeks ago at the ICE processing center and said the visit was emotional for them both.
“He looks skinnier,” Gusar said. “You know, he’s depressed from what I could see. He just doesn’t understand why he’s been there for so long.”
A GoFundMe account has been established to help cover legal costs. On the fundraising page, Henriquez is described as a “hardworking respectful man.” He is scheduled to graduate this spring, but has missed a month of school due to the detention. The donations will also cover basic household needs since the family says Henriquez’s father is their primary provider.
Several students who didn’t know Henriquez personally came to the rally to call for his release, while also protesting ICE operations in Houston and around the country.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 4, 2026, to include comments from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as additional comments from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Great Job & the Team @ Houston Public Media for sharing this story.
