Advocates for illegal immigrants are holding a rally in Detroit on Tuesday to demand the release of two teen cousins from Venezuela arrested by immigration agents last week.
“We need all Detroiters to stand up against these kidnappings,” Lindsey Matson, with 482 Forward, told Outlier Media.
“If you care about education justice in the city, defending the rights of immigrant students who are dealing with fear and trauma is a first step,” she said. “482Forward and the (Detroit) People’s Assembly is calling on all Detroiters, including elected officials, to do all they can to get the immediate release of these young people and their family.”
The rally is focused on the arrest of two Venezuelan 16-year-old cousins and two of their parents during an immigration enforcement raid on Thursday aimed at locating a migrant wanted for assaulting a Detroit Border Patrol Agent.
“While executing a search warrant for an escaped fugitive Ecuadoran national who assaulted a Detroit Border Patrol Agent last week, agents encountered three Venezuelan aliens who were illegally present in the United States,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Youssef Fawaz told Outlier.
Fawaz said a fourth illegal immigrant from Venezuela was arrested later the same day.
Chief Border Patrol Agent John Morris on Sunday posted to X about the deportation of four illegal immigrants from Venezuela who were arrested in Detroit last week.
“On Thursday, Detroit Station agents arrested 4 Special Interest Aliens (SIAs) in a targeted enforcement action near Detroit, MI,” Morris wrote. “SIAs are illegal aliens from countries deemed to pose a potential threat to the national security of the United States. All will be processed for deportation from the U.S.”
On Thursday, Detroit Station agents arrested 4 Special Interest Aliens (SIAs) in a targeted enforcement action near Detroit, MI. SIAs are illegal aliens from countries deemed to pose a potential threat to the national security of the United States. All will be processed for… pic.twitter.com/2HKfEeSeaG
— Chief Patrol Agent John R.Morris (@USBPChiefDTM) November 23, 2025
While Outlier did not identify the teens arrested, Western International High School teacher Kristen Schoettle, who helps one with English, told the news site both have work permits and jobs at Chili’s.
Schoettle said the teens are seeking asylum with upcoming court dates.
“She is an excellent student, really wants to learn English,” she said of her student.
On Nov. 17, Border Patrol agents were transporting a 28-year-old female and 33-year-old male, both in the country illegally from Ecuador, when the male subject struck an agent and fled on foot in handcuffs, WJBK reports.
A multi-agency police search involving both K-9 teams and the air division initially failed to locate the male suspect, according to the news site.
The female suspect, who had an outstanding order for removal from the U.S., was subdued with a Taser and arrested.
Morris posted to X the male suspect was eventually apprehended.
“A warrant was issued for the fugitive alien, and he was arrested on Thursday along with 4 Special Interest Aliens from Venezuela,” Morris wrote, adding that both illegal immigrants from Ecuador were charged with felonies for assaulting, resisting an officer.
On Monday, a Detroit Station agent was assaulted by 2 illegal alien detainees from Ecuador while trying to escape. During the incident, one illegal alien attempted to choke the agent while the second alien fled on foot. The agent had to use his Taser to subdue her, and the final… pic.twitter.com/2mEBNrnFis
— Chief Patrol Agent John R.Morris (@USBPChiefDTM) November 21, 2025
“Assaulting or impeding a federal agent is a felony, punishable by up to 20 years in a federal prison,” Morris wrote. “Anyone aiding or abetting these violators will also be arrested and charged.”
The Venezuelan teens arrested Thursday were born in Venezuela and arrived in the U.S. in 2023. They’re now being held in an immigration facility in Texas, according to Schoettle.
“Outlier confirmed that the father of one of the teens is being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center, a facility operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), through the agency’s Online Detainee Locator System,” Outlier reports. “Schoettle says the teens are there too, though the database does not provide information about minors in detention.”
“It’s crazy to be picking people up like this,” Schoettle said. “There was no arrest warrant for this family. … Now you’ve got kids in a detention center, and they’re just stuck there for I don’t know how long. It’s ridiculous.”
The arrests are among scores of others in the Detroit Sector over the last week, including two illegal immigrants from Mexico during a traffic stop in Kinross Charter Twp.; a previously deported illegal immigrant from Honduras in Sterling Heights; five special interest aliens from Cuba and Venezuela in separate incidents in Port Huron, Macomb, and Trenton; an illegal immigrant from Honduras in Shelby Twp.; a previously deported special interest alien from Venezuela with a history of assaulting police in Ohio; a special interest alien from Venezuela in Royal Oak; and another special interest alien from Venezuela who was allegedly arrested with narcotics in Wyandotte, according to Morris’ posts.
