Houston students rally for kidnapped classmate

Students at Sam Houston High School in Houston rallied after school on Feb. 3, because their friend and classmate, Mauro Henriquez-Sanchez, has not been at school since he was kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in December. His classmates are worried about him. He was to graduate in May 2026 and is the captain of the school’s varsity soccer team.

ICE detained Henriquez-Sanchez on Dec. 16 following an asylum check-in. They also detained his father. They were both following the procedures given them when they applied for asylum. Students were angry about this. Faculty members joined the students and spoke out as well. They all carried homemade signs and several spoke with the news media.

The head soccer coach told the crowd: “I would wish my 16-year-old daughter could have a friend as kind and intelligent as Mauro. He was beginning a good life and now — what’s going to happen to him?”

Schoolmates, teachers and community supporters raised money for an immigration lawyer in hopes their friend can return to school.