Fact Check: "Colindres deported to a country he hasn't lived in since age eight."
What We Know
Emerson Colindres, a 19-year-old who graduated from high school in Cincinnati, was deported to Honduras on June 17, 2025, after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine check-in. Colindres had lived in the United States since he was eight years old, having arrived with his family to escape violence in Honduras. His family had applied for asylum, but their application was denied in 2023, leading to a final order of removal for Colindres and his family (NBC News, Cincinnati.com).
Colindres did not have a criminal record, and his deportation has drawn significant attention and protests from his community, highlighting the emotional impact of his removal on friends and family (MSN, The Guardian). His mother expressed the pain of seeing her son detained and later deported to a country where he has no memories or connections (Cincinnati.com).
Analysis
The claim that Colindres was deported to a country he hasn't lived in since age eight is supported by multiple credible sources. Reports consistently detail that Colindres arrived in the U.S. at the age of eight and had not returned to Honduras since then (NBC News, The Guardian). His mother confirmed that he left Honduras at a young age and does not remember anything about his life there (Cincinnati.com).
The sources reporting on this incident, such as NBC News and The Guardian, are reputable news organizations known for their journalistic standards. They provide detailed accounts of Colindres's situation, including the context of his family's asylum application and the subsequent deportation order. The emotional responses from his community and family members further validate the impact of this deportation on those who knew him (NBC News, Cincinnati.com).
While there is a potential for bias in the reporting, particularly from sources that emphasize the emotional and humanitarian aspects of Colindres's story, the factual elements regarding his age at arrival and the timeline of events are consistent across multiple reports.
Conclusion
The claim that Emerson Colindres was deported to Honduras, a country he has not lived in since the age of eight, is True. The evidence from reliable news sources confirms that he arrived in the U.S. at eight years old, has lived there for over a decade, and was deported following a final order of removal after his family's asylum application was denied.
Sources
- A teen with no criminal background was deported by ICE, leaving ... - MSN
- ICE deports teen soccer star with no criminal record after ... - NBC News
- Recent high school grad, deported to Honduras, faces uncertain future - Cincinnati.com
- US deports teen soccer star to Honduras days after his high school graduation - The Guardian