Teen brothers arrested at Coast bus stop released from ICE custody, family says

Two teenage brothers arrested by federal immigration agents as they walked to their school bus last week were released from custody Thursday after outcry from residents and leaders across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Gail Baptiste, the brothers’ legal guardian and host mother, said the teens from the Republic of the Congo are returning to their home in Diamondhead, Mississippi, after more than a week in federal detention.

“We have the boys, and we are on our way home,” she said Thursday afternoon.

The release of Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, followed pleas from students, teachers, neighbors and the mayor of their deep-red Mississippi community.

The office of Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also helped the family find a top immigration attorney and answered their questions about the federal immigration process, according to Baptiste.

“My office is doing what it can to work with the guardians of Max and Israel Makoka as they deal with an ongoing and complex immigration case,” Hyde-Smith said in a statement earlier this week. “We will continue to monitor the situation and work toward the best possible solution within the law.”

Students and staff at Hancock High School, where the Makokas studied and played basketball, wrote dozens of letters in support of the brothers’ release. Residents in Hancock County, where Donald Trump won almost 80% of the vote in the last presidential election, also called and left messages at the offices of Hyde-Smith, Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, who represents southern Mississippi in Congress.

The brothers’ arrests came as the Trump Administration cracks down on illegal immigration and increases scrutiny on international students studying in the United States.

ICE has not responded to detailed questions about the case. But in a statement, the agency told media outlets the brothers violated their student visas by transferring out of the Piney Woods School, a historically Black boarding institution in central Mississippi.

The Baptiste family said the brothers unknowingly fell out of legal status when they transferred to Hancock High School last year.

“They were granted the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program. However, they failed to attend that school,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement earlier this week. “Because they violated their visas, they are subject to removal.”

Federal agents arrested the brothers as they left home to board their school bus on April 21, according to their host family. Israel Makoka was held at an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana. Authorities transferred Max Makoka to a facility in Houston.

Next steps

Diamondhead Mayor Anna Liese praised the brothers’ release.

“As a community, we are hugely relieved and absolutely overjoyed that the boys are on their way home,” she said. “It has really brought out the best in our people. They rallied for these kids and did what they could to advocate for them, and I think it made a difference.”

Amy Maldonado, an attorney representing the Makoka brothers, said they will participate in ICE check-ins and court proceedings while seeking reinstatement of their student visas.

Israel Makoka was released with an ankle monitor, Maldonado said. He will return to Mississippi in time for his high school graduation.

His younger brother, Max, was released to the Baptistes, his legal guardians, and will likely attend a local private school next year. Maldonado said the family will also be required to pay Hancock High School for the cost of this year’s tuition in accordance with federal laws that govern international students’ attendance at public schools.

The brothers’ arrests outraged many neighbors across the tight-knit city of Diamondhead, where most residents support the Trump Administration. Some residents questioned the outcry, arguing ICE had no choice but to detain the brothers’ since their legal status had lapsed. The Baptiste family said an ICE agent told them the agency received a tip that “two African kids” were attending Hancock High School.

The brothers arrived in the U.S. in 2023 and 2024 and stayed with the Baptiste family during the holidays and summers before they transferred to the local high school. Their arrests drew national media attention.

Baptiste credited their release to local and federal leaders “who really went to bat for us,” she said.

“The boys are very grateful,” she added. “They look forward to having an opportunity to finish their education.”