ICE Detains Obama-Award Winner Living in US for 20 Years

A Pennsylvania man who came to the United States as a child and was once recognized by former President Barack Obama is now being held in federal custody following a routine court appearance.

Darwin Contreras, 27, has lived in the United States since he was 7 years old, and was a recipient of the President’s Education Awards Program, his wife, Elizabeth DeJesus, told Newsweek.

Newsweek has obtained a copy of the award dated January 2012, during Obama’s presidency.

“This boy was turning into an athletic man with dreams of pursuing soccer as a career. His senior year, he unfortunately had to drop out and get a job. So instead, he picked up track and field,” DeJesus told Newsweek.

“He motivated his teammates to go hard during practice and to never stop. After graduating from high school, he got a job and continued to work hard,” she added.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told Newsweek that ICE agents detained Contreras during a court hearing for driving under the influence.

“His criminal history includes convictions for theft and possession of marijuana. This criminal illegal alien admitted to law enforcement that he is in the country illegally,” McLaughlin said.

The arrest comes as the White House is attempting to carry out what it calls the largest deportation operation in U.S. history as part of the President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda.

Contreras’ journey to the U.S. from El Salvador was marked by trauma, his wife said. During both of his border crossings, he witnessed harrowing scenes, including dead bodies and acts of exploitation.

On his second attempt, instead of being reunited with his mother, he was met by authorities and a caseworker, and spent time in detention before being placed in a foster home. He eventually reunited with his mother, and he went on to grow up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he attended school and thrived.

In elementary school, he received awards for his academic efforts, and in middle school, he earned a Presidential Fitness Award from then-President Obama. He later turned to sports, excelling in track and field and being named MVP during his senior year after initially having to leave school to support himself.

After graduating from high school, Contreras began working full-time, supporting himself and eventually becoming a father. Later, he met DeJesus, now 22, and the couple married in March of this year. Both work at the same restaurant, and Contreras was in the process of applying for his citizenship when he was detained.

On June 24, after attending a court proceeding related to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, Darwin was taken into custody by ICE agents who were waiting at the courthouse. DeJesus recalls the agents wearing “something you can get from Walmart” and being given no immediate information on where her husband was being taken. Later she learned he had been transported to Pike County Correctional Facility.

DeJesus said ICE’s actions have disrupted not only their lives, but have left her husband in a deteriorating mental and physical state.

“At first, when he got there, he was not adjusting well, he was not OK, his mental health was not good,” she said.

As they await the hearing date, she continues to advocate for Contreras’ release and hopes his long-standing ties to the U.S., their marriage, and his contributions to the community will be taken into account.