EXCLUSIVE: ICE Slaps Detainer On 24-Year-Old Illegal Alien Who Posed As Teen Student

The Trump administration has taken action to keep a 24-year-old Venezuelan illegal alien behind bars after he was arrested for posing as a teenager for over a year at an Ohio high school, federal officials told The Daily Wire.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed an immigration detainer on Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra, who was arrested by police on Monday after it was discovered that he had been attending Perrysburg High School for over a year, posing as a 16-year-old. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire that it had confirmed that Sierra was a 24-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, and placed the detainer to make sure he remains behind bars.

“ICE lodged a detainer to ensure that this criminal illegal alien is removed from this community and no longer able to prey on the students of Perrysburg High School,” McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. “It is disturbing that a grown man would impersonate a teenager and surround himself with underage girls and boys and fool them into doing God knows what.”

Sierra was charged on Monday with forgery charges after the Perrysburg School District revealed that Sierra used forged documents to obtain legal guardianship, a Social Security number, an Ohio driver’s license, and Temporary Protected Status from deportation.

READ MORE: 24-Year-Old Venezuelan Posed As Teen To Attend Ohio High School For Over A Year

Local detective Ryan Merrow, who is investigating the incident, told The Daily Wire that the case is ongoing and that more charges may be coming. He noted that the school told him that Sierra was working with an “advocacy group” to obtain protected legal status in the United States.

Sierra attended the high school from January 2024 until last week after a woman came forward claiming to be the mother of his child and showing documents demonstrating that he was lying about his identity. While at the school, Sierra participated on the school’s JV soccer and swim teams.

According to his booking information, Sierra is six feet tall and 190 pounds with a Rose Mary tattoo on his left arm and a diamond tattoo on his left arm. His bond was set at $50,000, though now he won’t be eligible for release due to the ICE detainer.

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Ohio state lawmaker Josh Williams, who represents the district containing the school, said he was “deeply troubled” by the news and that the people “need answers” from the school system.

“I seriously doubt the school system’s ability to keep our students safe when it can’t even affirm the immigration status or age of this man,” Williams said. “I will be following up very soon with more detailed questions for the school district.”