Two brothers from the Republic of Congo, Israel and Max Makoka, were taken into custody by ICE agents last week while waiting for their school bus in Diamondhead, Mississippi.
Israel, 18, and Max, 15, are students at Hancock High School.
The brothers had been living legally in the U.S. on student visas for years. However, their legal status apparently expired after they transferred from a private boarding school to a public high school.
Their host father Cliff Baptiste, said the family was blindsided by the arrests. Within seconds of the bus arriving, ten unmarked cars surrounded the teens. Agents then zip-tied the brothers and took them away.
The family is devastated and confused by the sudden raid. “We should have had a warning,” Cliff Baptiste said during an interview.
His wife, Gail Baptiste, tried to provide legal guardianship papers to the agents but they were ignored. “They’re out of status,” was the only explanation given by officials.
Max has since been separated from his older brother and the family is struggling to locate him.
The brothers have not been charged with any crimes and were known as model students and athletes.
