OCILLA, Ga. (WALB) - A Northwest Georgia community is rallying around a high school senior who is now being held in ICE custody at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla.

According to WALB’s sister station in Atlanta, 19-year-old Elder Macario was arrested May 1 in Walker County following a crash. Deputies say Macario hit another vehicle and was driving without a valid license.

Macario later bonded out on the local charges, but the Walker County Sheriff says Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on him. He has since been transferred to the Irwin County Detention Center.

Family members say Macario is originally from Guatemala but has lived in Trion since he was a child. A GoFundMe created by his family describes him as a soccer player and welding student at Georgia Northwestern Technical College.

With graduation just days away, supporters are now calling for his release.

“Let’s focus on people that are... they out there getting a DUI? Are they out there robbing somebody? Make it those cases and not some minor traffic incidents that’s causing us to detain these people, because there’s a difference,” one supporter said.

It is unclear how long Macario will remain at the detention center or what happens next in his immigration case.

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