Why a Dunwoody traffic stop could lead to teen's deportation
ICE holds Dunwoody High student for deportation
A Dunwoody High School student who has lived in the U.S. since age four faces deportation to Honduras following a routine traffic stop.
DUNWOODY, Ga. - A metro Atlanta high school student faces deportation to Honduras.
Axel Rios, a junior at Dunwoody High School, was brought to the United States when he was 4 years old.
What we know:
There is a high chance Dunwoody High School junior Axel Rios will not return to school.
He has been at the Folkston ICE Processing Center for a few weeks after a traffic stop led Dunwoody police to arrest him.
According to Dunwoody police, Rios was pulled over on March 27 for failing to stop at a stop sign. He was also accused of driving without a license.
Once Rios was booked into the DeKalb County Jail, the sheriff’s office reported it learned he had an immigration detainer notice. The agency said it released him to ICE on March 29.
Order for removal
What they're saying:
"It’s been very hard, very hard. Being without him has been very hard," said Kelin Rios, the student’s mother.
Rios' attorney, Alexandros Cornejo, said Rios was booked into the DeKalb County Jail and picked up by ICE days later.
The student's attorney hopes to meet with ICE on Tuesday afternoon to explain why the teenager should be given a chance to stay.
"This is such a crucial moment in our nation where ICE has the power to send a message to our community to say, look, we are going after the bad apples. This is not one of them," Cornejo said.
He told FOX5 they've gathered supporting letters from people at Rios' school and from others in the community.
"I think we all deserve an opportunity. My son is not a bad person, he’s not bad," said Axel's mother.
The situation has been difficult for the student’s mother, who brought him to the United States from Honduras.
She explained the family was seeking asylum in the United States due to a violent domestic situation.
According to Kelin, a move from Florida to Georgia caused her to miss important legal notices about their immigration case.
She now fears her son will be deported to an unfamiliar country.
"He doesn’t know Honduras. He only has some memories, but he doesn’t remember a lot," she said.
Mom worried about Dunwoody HS student held by ICE
A mother is worried after her son, a student at Dunwoody High School, was arrested during a traffic stop and was then picked up by ICE. He is currently scheduled for deportation. Lawyers for the family are hoping to meet with officials to plead his case.
The backstory:
The high school soccer player’s mother brought him to the United States from Honduras when he was four years old. Kelin Rios said the family lived in Florida for a few years before moving to Georgia. She believes the move caused her to miss vital notices regarding their immigration asylum case.
What's next:
Cornejo shared the removal order that allows ICE to deport Rios to Honduras whenever they please.
Clarification on what happened
The other side:
The City of Dunwoody sent FOX 5 Atlanta an email to clarify what happened during the traffic stop and after the teen was taken to jail.
According to the city, Dunwoody police arrested Rios because he did not have a license, which is an arrestable offense, and the police officer did not know anything about his legal status at the time. The city also said that the ICE hold was discovered by officials at the DeKalb County Jail during processing.
An ICE spokesperson released the following statement on Monday afternoon:
"On March 27, 2026, the Dunwoody Police Department arrested Axel Gerardo Archaga Rios, an 18-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, in Atlanta for driving without a license. ICE lodged a detainer with the DeKalb County jail. Local authorities cooperated with ICE and turned him over. This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.
"Archaga Rios illegally entered the U.S. on June 25, 2014, near the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and was RELEASED into the country by the Obama administration. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on September 1, 2015. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal."