Dear People of St. James’,
I want to update you on where things stand with Luis Fernando Cabrera, the 18 year-old from our congregation who was arrested and detained by ICE.
First, I give thanks for the way that you have shown up for the family. Your generosity through the GoFundMe and provision through discretionary funds donations has been incredible. Depending on the direction of the situation, we are feeling pretty confident that basic needs and legal council needs are covered for the time being. Luis has legal counsel; a habeas corpus petition has been filed. A number of community leaders, notably including Congressman Greg Casar, have come to the family’s aid in telling this story. Thank you to all who showed up for the press conference on Monday. Many letters of support have been written by clergy, including Bishop Kai Ryan, school administrators, faculty, and coaches, and others, on Luis Fernando Cabrera’s behalf for his case file. We are hopeful that a successful habeas hearing will occur in time to get Luis home to his family in time for graduation.
Your prayers, your actions, and your work to tell Luis Fernando’s story matter.
Helping us to tell the story on social media is one step, and you can share links to good reporting and editorials.
Here are some examples:
https://www.statesman.com/opinion/editorials/article/luis-fernando-cabrera-ice-editorial-22253044.php
https://www.kut.org/education/2026-05-08/austin-isd-student-is-detained-by-ice-weeks-before-graduating
https://austincurrent.org/2026/05/08/austin-isd-senior-detained-ice-immigration/
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/greg-casar-austin-student-detained-ice-northeast-early-college/269-38b98e41-4f7a-4174-b564-bc934da37ef6
https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/austin-student-detained-by-ice-after-traffic-stop-22244671.php
Please write to your representatives at the state level, including the governor’s office. and the executive level, and look for opportunities to speak with law enforcement on the local level (maybe that’s a friend or a neighbor). Over the years, there has been some bipartisan support for the idea that Dreamers like Luis Fernando Cabrera, children who were brought to the U.S. without documentation, should have a pathway to citizenship. They should not be locked up in detention facilities as if they are criminals.
I also think that it matters when we tell a story like this to someone who may not feel near to these sorts of community concerns. As baptized people who seek to honor the human dignity of every person, compassion-building sharing of the stories of those whom we care about helps us to build a larger community that sees and honors that human dignity. If this is a matter of your heart, take a chance and let someone else know. Don’t be thrown by their immediate response. You have offered something real and precious that might at some point help them draw nearer to others and a different way of thinking. Active and compassionate witness is the goal; persuasion or the spirited imagination that helps us form common cause may come later, with the Spirit’s help.
Finally, keep praying. Our community has already borne witness to one success through the habeas corpus process. We may yet see a way made for Luis Fernando to graduate and return to his beloved family, and we look forward to the day when we might welcome him home. Our faith teaches us that we must not give up our hope for good and for liberation, just because there is cruelty and capriciousness in this world. Let us be willing to bear the cost of being a people of active hope in this time!
Rev. Eileen
