{"id":944852,"date":"2026-07-19T05:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T05:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/944852\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T05:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T05:57:21","slug":"bellaire-high-school-community-rallies-behind-student-detained-by-ice-at-houston-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/944852\/","title":{"rendered":"Bellaire High School Community Rallies Behind Student Detained by ICE at Houston Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 The Bellaire community is rallying around an 18-year-old Bellaire High School student who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Houston\u2019s Hobby Airport.<\/p>\n

Teachers and friends identify the student as Alim Garipov, an 18-year-old originally from Russia. According to those close to him, Garipov was traveling with family members to visit colleges when he was detained.<\/p>\n

ICE confirmed Garipov was arrested in Houston on July 17, saying he remained in the United States after his authorized stay expired.<\/p>\n

Community Shows Support<\/b><\/p>\n

Since news of Garipov\u2019s detention became public, an outpouring of support has spread throughout the Bellaire community.<\/p>\n

Teachers have shared messages on social media describing Garipov as a hardworking student who founded Bellaire High School\u2019s Russian Culture Club, worked diligently to learn English and made a lasting impact both inside and outside the classroom.<\/p>\n

Former classmates and teammates also praised Garipov, describing him as a standout swimmer, team captain and someone who consistently made others feel welcome.<\/p>\n

What Happens When an Asylum Applicant Is Detained?<\/b><\/p>\n

As community members seek answers about Garipov\u2019s case, immigration attorney Ruby Powers, who is not involved in the case, says a pending asylum application means an individual is waiting for a decision from immigration officials or an immigration judge.<\/p>\n

However, she says having a pending asylum case does not prevent someone from being detained.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have a person detained at an airport for no other reason other than asylum pending and being 18, we haven\u2019t seen that happen,\u201d Powers said.<\/p>\n

Powers explained that detention does not necessarily end an asylum case.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t actually mean that this is the end,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just means we\u2019re at a different stage with a different jurisdiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

ICE: Pending Application Does Not Provide Legal Status<\/b><\/p>\n

In a statement, ICE said Garipov was admitted to the United States in 2022 as a non-immigrant but did not depart before his authorized stay expired.<\/p>\n

The agency said a pending asylum application does not confer legal immigration status and that individuals detained by ICE continue to receive due process under federal law.<\/p>\n

What Comes Next?<\/b><\/p>\n

Powers says Garipov may still have legal options moving forward and that his detention should not prevent him from pursuing another asylum application in the future, depending on the circumstances of his case.<\/p>\n

Garipov\u2019s family has not publicly commented, saying they want time to pursue legal claims.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher says her office is working with the family and remains in contact with federal agencies regarding the case.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 The Bellaire community is rallying around an 18-year-old Bellaire High School student who was detained by…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":944853,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5130],"tags":[57192,28576,66270,380454,4345,5410,15689,358,3187],"class_list":["post-944852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-alim","tag-bellaire","tag-detained","tag-garipov","tag-houston","tag-ice","tag-student","tag-texas","tag-tx"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116945108782526321","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=944852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/944853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=944852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=944852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=944852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}