A Trion High School senior is now in federal immigration custody after being arrested during a traffic stop in Walker County earlier this week.
Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson told WTVC-TV in Chattanooga that 19-year-old Elder Yuvini Aguilar-Macario was initially stopped by the Georgia State Patrol for traffic violations, including allegedly driving without a license and making an improper lane change.
After his arrest, Aguilar-Macario was booked into the Walker County Jail on the state charges. During the intake process, jail personnel determined he was born outside the United States, leading deputies to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement through the county’s participation in the federal 287(g) program.
According to Wilson, ICE confirmed that Aguilar-Macario was in the country illegally and issued a detainer request. He was later transferred from the Walker County Jail to the Floyd County Jail, where he remains in federal custody pending additional immigration proceedings.
Federal immigration records list Guatemala as Aguilar-Macario’s country of birth.
Sheriff Wilson said Walker County’s role in the case was limited to housing the inmate for the Georgia State Patrol and coordinating with federal authorities after the immigration status check.
Wilson also defended the county’s involvement in the 287(g) program, saying the partnership allows deputies to identify undocumented immigrants who are already being processed through the jail system. He noted that deputies are not conducting immigration enforcement operations in neighborhoods or communities.
Without the federal partnership, Wilson said Aguilar-Macario likely would have bonded out and been released following the traffic-related arrest.
The arrest has drawn attention locally after an online fundraising campaign identified Aguilar-Macario as a Trion High School senior preparing to graduate later this month. The fundraiser states he was brought to the United States as a child and had recently enrolled in a welding program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
No additional information has been released regarding Aguilar-Macario’s immigration case or any future court proceedings.