RHS Honors grad in ICE custody after traffic stop in Littleville

Four months ago, Russellville High School senior Juan Quim Tasej was named the school’s Career Technical Education Student of the Month for his outstanding work in the welding program.

Four months later, the 19-year-old remains on the Colbert County Jail roster as inmate booking number 12814.

His crime? The minor traffic offense of Following Too Closely, after he was stopped by Littleville Police on July 29th.

When someone is stopped for a motor vehicle violation by law enforcement, it comes with an automatic check of warrants or holds on the person. Although Quim Tasej had never been arrested or charged with a crime in his lifetime, the records check showed a hold for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

As a result of that hold, Quim Tasej was transported to the Colbert County Jail, with his next stop being the Pickens County Jail, which is used as a temporary ICE detention facility.

Quim Tasej’s contact with his family in Russellville has been minimal since his arrest, but he told family he expects to be taken to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana. Where he goes after that, and what the next step in his deportation proceedings will be remains a mystery as of Sunday night.

Quim Tasej was 10 years old when his family left their Guatemala home and came to Russellville looking for a better life.

Quim Tasej’s life in Russellville includes an active role in youth programs at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, and a steady job at a restaurant. He graduated from RHS with honors and was recognized for excellence in the CTE welding program. That’s the career the young man planned, at least until he allegedly followed another vehicle too closely on a Wednesday morning as he drove through Littleville.

His detention has left his family, including his two siblings, stunned and scared, as Juan finds himself at the mercy of a system that’s become increasingly harsher on illegal immigrants, regardless of their age or circumstance.

Public opinion on the volatile issue ranges from complete objection to complete support of what ICE is doing with its increased enforcement.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it’s difficult to dispute that Quim Tasej epitomizes everything that a young man could do or be to present himself as someone deserving of a continued life in the United States.

An honor student in high school, now a graduate with an honest job and the framework for a career in a trade he’s demonstrated excellence in.

When Quim Tasej came to the United States, it wasn’t his decision. He was a 10-year-old child whose parents decided to uproot their lives.

Should he end up deported back to Guatemala, friends say his family ties are minimal in his birth country. Where he would go or what he would do is another mystery.

Juan’s plight has caught the attention, and sympathy, of a growing number of people in his community, including Gracie Pounders, a former RHS valedictorian halfway through Veterinary School at Auburn University after already earning her Bachelor of Science in Biological Science.

Pounders’ brother was a fellow RHS Class of 2026 grad along with Juan. Before she spoke publicly about Quim Tasej’s detention, Pounders did her homework. She talked to his teachers, coworkers, neighbors and classmates. To a person, they all described someone of good character who was a model student.

As a result, Pounders decided to get involved in helping Quim Tasej. She set up a Go Fund Me account to raise money for an immigration attorney to take Juan’s case. As of August 2nd, almost $5,000 of the $7,000 goal has been raised, with more than 100 donations.

Home for the summer on a break from school, the 24-year-old Pounders didn’t plan to get involved in an advocacy campaign, and she did her research before entering those often controversial waters. After learning the full story, Pounders decided she needed to speak out.

“I understand there will be people who disagree. I hope they are willing to take the time to learn about Juan’s character and the limits of the current immigration system,” Pounders said. “Juan was a kid when he came here. He didn’t have any say in that. He’s done nothing wrong and currently there are no legal avenues to my knowledge to pursue citizenship or a Green Card in his situation.

“It was a toss of a coin that allowed me to be born here and Juan to be born to parents in another country. He was brought here to get an education and skills and he’s become a great member of our community. I can’t understand why we wouldn’t want someone like that who’s doing things right. I’ve not heard one negative thing about this kid,” she added.

Pounders said she’s learned that undocumented immigrants are scared to pursue avenues to gain legal status because people in that process are getting deported.

The more she learned, the more Pounders realized she had to do something to help Juan. Her devout Christian faith told her it was the right thing to do, she explained.

Juan Quim Tasej

What happens with Quim Tasej’s case involves mostly unanswered questions at this early stage, although his young age, clean record, employment and education afford him at least some options not available to every detainee.

Once he’s represented by counsel, Quim Tasej’s attorney may request an immigration bond. With no criminal record, he is at least eligible for one. This would involve a custody review or bond hearing before an immigration judge, who could order his release on bond.

Another legal option could involve filing a request to the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, or an immigration judge, to administratively close the case. Factors that could help Quim Tasej include having come to the United States at a very young age, attending school and graduating here and the deep community ties he’s established.

After being in the U.S. for at least 10 years, another option exists in the 10-year Cancellation of Removal for a Non-Permanent Resident, where his clean record and community references bolster his case.

Generally, though, for a Green Card or the 10-year option, the detainee must show ‘exceptional and extremely unusual hardship.’

Each of these are merely options, though. And the realism is our nation is in the midst of a time of heightened immigration enforcement, with no shortage of public support for the stricter policy.

Juan may be the ideal candidate for sympathy from a rigid system, but there’s no guarantee.

For now, he remains in federal detention, unsure of where he will go next or what his fate will be. That’s the harsh reality of his situation, regardless of how good of a case he presents.