HOUSTON (KIAH) – Emmanuel Gonzalez Garcia, a 15-year-old in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, was urgently taken to the hospital for appendicitis surgery. His mother, Maria Garcia, anxiously hopes for her son’s swift recovery, wishing he could recuperate at home in familiar surroundings.

Cesar Espinosa, the Executive Director of FIEL and a supporter of the Garcia family, reported that Emmanuel underwent surgery after being hospitalized on Monday. There was a strong desire for Emmanuel’s release into his mother’s care. However, as of Tuesday morning, Espinosa confirmed to CW39 that Emmanuel would remain under the care of ORR for the time being.

The ordeal began on October 4, when Emmanuel disappeared from a fruit stand where he was assisting his mother, Maria, on a typically quiet Saturday afternoon. Maria had established the stand after losing her job, striving to provide for her family. She explained that Emmanuel needed to use the restroom, and as she attended to a customer, he walked away and did not return.

Maria’s search for her son was relentless. For days, she canvassed the area around Clay and Hempstead Road, calling out Emmanuel’s name, distributing flyers, and holding onto hope that someone might have seen him.

“He was with me and his little sister; he asked to go to the bathroom. I was occupied with a customer,” Maria Garcia recounted, reflecting on the moment her son vanished.

Maria said she started the fruit stand after losing her job and needed to make money to care for her family. She said the location of Clay and Hempstead was only her second time there. She said she chose that location because it was well-lit and she felt safe at that location to sell fruit.

Houston Police said officers found Emmanuel with the Houston Police Department after they were called for a welfare check on him. Police said they sat with him for four hours, tried to reach out to family or someone he knew. Maria said Emmanuel, who has autism, would not be able to verbally tell the officer anything in detail because he has the mindset of a 4-5-year-old.

Police said after not being able to reach or identify him or anyone in Emmanuel’s household, they reached out to federal authorities for help identifying his family. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tells CW39 they assisted HPD in trying to locate family members, but when none could be confirmed, Emmanuel was placed in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the federal agency that provides housing and support for children who arrive in the U.S. alone.

In a statement, ICE clarified:

“On Oct. 5, the Houston Police Department contacted ICE about a minor they had picked up who claimed to be homeless and from another country. ICE worked with HPD to see if they could identify the minor or any of the minor’s family members living in the U.S. When no family could be identified, ICE helped HPD place the minor with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement. At no point was the minor in ICE custody.”

That means Emmanuel is safe and being cared for, but not yet reunited with his family.

Advocates said this was a case like no other, and they are working to make sure they reunite the family.

Maria is now working with immigration advocates to navigate the process. They say the next steps include requesting Emmanuel’s formal release from custody.

Espinosa said while the process could take weeks, they will not give up.

For now, Emmanuel remains in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. His story, one that began with fear and uncertainty, has become a window into how complex and emotional these cases can be.

“The worst-case scenario is that he’s detained indefinitely, and at 17 and a half years old, immigration, for immigration purposes, you turn into an adult, and he could be deported back to Nicaragua without anyone having a say in it,” said Espinosa.