Elder Marín Chávez Carranza is a teenager detained at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. He was 14 years old when he arrived in the United States 4 years ago, after crossing alone the equivalent of 3400 miles by car from his home country. When Elder fled Honduras in 2022, the homicide rate was 38 per 100,000 people. In the United States, there were 6.3 per 100,000 residents that same year. Elder was escaping from death, violence, poverty, and the lack of opportunities.

Elder was granted Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status in September 2025, during the second Trump Administration. The SIJ was created by the U.S. Congress “to provide humanitarian protection for abused, neglected, or abandoned alien children eligible for long-term foster care.” It entitles any juvenile to apply for a green card (permanent residency) in the U.S. 

Elder was in the process of adjusting his immigration status when he was detained during a traffic stop in December 2025. Although he showed the officers his legal status via an I-797 indicating I-360 approval, he was sent to the Winn Center a couple of days later. This facility was the subject of a recent Unannounced Inspection by the DHS Inspector General, Joseph V. Cuffari, who determined the facility “did not fully comply with reviewed standards for environmental health and safety, food service, use of force, medical care.” 

Elder remains detained in a facility that “did not ensure safe and sanitary conditions in multiple areas; (did not) store perishable food at the required temperature (…) ensure detainees had adequate access to legal materials.” This 18-year-old kid has been exposed to staff members who “used prohibited techniques in at least three of five incidents reviewed.” The full Winn report for June 2nd, 2026, can be found here. Two immigrants died in April and June at Winn.

Elder should be at his home with his sister, who holds his legal custody. He was attending 11th grade at Asbury High School when he was detained. His Biology teacher defined him as a “responsible and respectful” teenager who “was always willing to help others.” His English Language Arts and Spanish teacher said it was a “pleasure and privilege” meeting Elder. He is “a respectful, intelligent, caring, and polite young man who was always willing to help and learn,” she added, and highlighted that Elder “excelled” at school. Elder is the kind of human we need in this country. His community in Albertville hopes he can return to Alabama promptly, where he can complete his education.