Torn from Their Community: The Fight to Free Detroit Twins Angely and Alexka
07.15.2026
Eighteen-year-old twin sisters Alexka and Angely Jerez-Medina traveled to New York this summer for what should have been a standard seasonal job at a distribution center. Instead, the Detroit high school students were apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and subsequently transferred thousands of miles away to a detention center in El Paso, Texas.
Their sudden detention has sparked outrage and immediate mobilization back home in Michigan, where teachers, faith leaders, and elected officials are fighting for their immediate release.
“Excellent Students” with Bright Futures
Back in Detroit, Angely and Alexka are known as dedicated students at Western International High School. They are deeply woven into the fabric of their community, remaining active in their local church and consistently staying out of trouble.
Their teacher, Kristen Schoettle, submitted a formal letter to ICE in support of their parole application, underscoring the girls’ character and aspirations.
“Angely and Alexka are excellent students. They are shy and hardworking. Angely participates in our school’s JROTC program, and Alexka wants to pursue a career in the sciences... Our school community deeply misses Angely and Alexka.” — Kristen Schoettle, Teacher
A Legally Questionable Detention
The legal justification for their current detention remains heavily contested. According to a Habeas Corpus petition filed in late June 2026, the twins previously had deportation proceedings against them completely dismissed by an immigration judge.
The petition explicitly notes that there are “currently no deportation proceedings pending against them”. Despite this legal standing, the sisters were apprehended during their summer job and locked away in Texas, leaving their family and legal advocates scrambling for answers.
The Urgent Call for Release
The fight to bring Angely and Alexka home is intensifying. Their advocates emphasize that the twins deserve to be reunited with their family and community in Michigan, where they have continually contributed as responsible, collaborative members of society. As their legal team battles in federal court, the Detroit community continues to amplify their story, demanding that ICE honor the dismissal of their previous cases and grant their immediate release.
Sources & Further Coverage
Primary News Coverage:
This system is running amok! There have to be some checks and balances otherwise stories like this are become more and more prevalent. The push to deport and detain is inherently wrong and mistaken. Especially with the stress being put on numbers of detainees instead of accuracy and precision of the decisions. To me it is inherently evil and I do not approve. The fat thug at the helm in the Whitehouse has to go. Whether it be by getting some oversight after the midterms or the big macs do their job. I'm good with either solution.
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