By DONNA THORNTON, Editor
The deadline a judge set for the government to set a bond hearing for an Asbury teenager detained by ICE passed without action, after the government asked for more time to respond to a habeas corpus motion.
The reason given for delay in the case of Elder Chavez Carranza? A staffer is retiring and the case needs to be reassigned, according to the Free Elder Now Facebook page.
Elder, 18, was detained after a traffic stop in December 2025. Supporters say Elder came to the United States legally from Honduras when he was 14 to live with his sister.
According to freeelder.net, the teen was granted Special Immigrant Juvenile status in September 2025. SIJ status was created by Congress to “provide humanitarian protection for abused, neglected, or abandoned alien children eligible for long-term foster care,” according to the website, and it entitles the juvenile immigrant to apply for a green card, giving them permanent residency in the U.S.
Supporters say he was in the process of adjusting his immigration status when the traffic stop occurred, and although he showed told officers his legal status and said he had documentation, he was detained. Days later he was sent to the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.
Supporters gathered in churches in Alabama and Pennsylvania, linked by the internet with another advocate in Louisiana, last month to call his release.
People gathered at Abundant Grace United Methodist Church in Boaz, where Pastor Carol Gullatt helped coordinate a live stream connection with Angela Della Valle at Messiah Lutheran Church in Downington, Pennsylvania, who organized “Team Elder,” and her husband, Carlos Della Valle, who was detained in Winn with Elder.
Since Carlos’ release, the couple has continued to advocate for Elder and others in detention.
The event also connected with Pam Cox of Natchitoches, Louisiana, who has visited Elder at Winn.
Pastor Andy Yarnell from Gadsden’s Mosaic Family and Pastor Beth Johnson from Southside United Methodist Church in Southside have visited Elder, too, and recorded a message that was shared with supporter.
“I’m a good teenager who wants to give back to this country,” Elder said in the recorded message.
Carlos Della Valle spoke of seeing Elder for the first time at the center. He said his first thought was, “he’s so young.” He said he decided then to try to protect Elder, to see that he was eating, staying active, and to pray with the teenager.
Those who’ve visited spoke of the horrible conditions at the center, and their concerns for him that might not be a factor for an adult in detention. Elder has braces on his teeth which need to be checked regularly and have not been.
In addition to Elder, the supporters from Pennsylvania read letters from detainees, their family members and others, and they prayed for others in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Cox talked of how she’d been able to pick up a detainee who had been released the week of the vigil. She said she hopes she can be the one to pick Elder up and take him away from Winn when his release is secured.
On the communion table at the front of Abundant Grace church, there photos of Elder, and a prayer shawl that attendees were encouraged to touch and pray over. Also displayed was a chair Elder made in shop class before he was detained. Gullatt said it is a symbol of the empty chair at his sister’s home.
Supporters urged people to contact their U.S. representatives and senators to urge them to intervene in Elder’s case, and urged everyone to pray for Elder and the family members desperate to see him come home.
Attendees of a vigil in support of former Asbury High School student Elder Chavez Carranza light candles. Chavez Carranza, 18, has been in federal custody since a traffic stop in December 2025 despite being granted Special Immigration Juvenile status months earlier. By DONNA THORNTON l The Leader
