Gainesville coach pleads for help as student-athlete remains in ICE custody

  • Gainesville High athlete Sebastian Jimenez and his family were detained by ICE on Aug. 22 and separated into different detention centers.
  • Jimenez and his mother were sent to a juvenile detention facility in Texas while his stepfather and sister were taken to facilities in Florida.
  • Coach Ashour Peera and the community are seeking legal help and appealing for support to secure Jimenez’s release before his bond hearing on September 8.

Gainesville High School student-athlete Sebastian Jimenez was taken from his Gainesville apartment, along with three family members, and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Aug. 22.

Jimenez, who is a punter and kicker for the Hurricanes, played in Gainesville’s home game against Belleview on Friday, Aug. 22. The following day, he was missing.

First-year Gainesville football coach Ashour Peera said he received an email on Saturday from a friend of the Jimenez family stating that no one was home at the apartment and no one had heard from any of the family…

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