Felipe Zapata Velásquez, a 27-year-old food and resource economics third-year international student, is currently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Zapata Velásquez, who is being held in Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade County, was taken into ICE custody after being arrested in Gainesville March 28.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested Zapata Velásquez for driving with an expired license and registration tag, according to police records. After paying a fine, ICE took custody of Zapata Velásquez and took him to Jacksonville, where deportation proceedings began, his mother, Claudia Velásquez, told NTN24.
Velasquez Zapata was transported to Krome in Miami-Dade on Tuesday, and has not been heard from since, according to NTN24.
UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan confirmed Zapata Velásquez’s enrollment at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Zapata Velásquez’s mother and sister declined to comment, stating they did not want to share sensitive information before being cleared by their attorney.
After being arrested, ICE gave Zapata Velásquez two options, which included going to the detention center – one of four in Florida – while awaiting a decision on his case in immigration court, or sign for self-deportation and process his visa from Colombia, his mother told NTN24.
Zapata Velásquez was in the process of renewing his visa when he was arrested. After graduating from Santa Fe College in 2023, the UF International Center was assisting him with the transition to UF.
Zapata Velásquez is in the United States under an F-1 visa, which allows foreign students to study in the states but with strict requirements. Violations such as unauthorized employment, failure to maintain full-time enrollment or involvement in criminal activity can result in visa revocation. Under current regulations, the U.S. Department of State can revoke non-immigrant visas, including F-1 visas, for people arrested for driving under the influence or similar offenses.
While visa revocation affects the ability to re-enter the U.S., it does not automatically impact a person's current legal status within the country. Therefore, individuals with revoked visas can typically remain and continue their studies, provided they maintain legal status by fulfilling visa requirements, such as full-time enrollment.
Contact Vera Lucia Pappaterra at vpappaterra@alligator.org. Follow her on X @veralupap.
Vera Lucia Pappaterra is the enterprise race and equity reporter and a second-year journalism major. She has previously worked on the university desk as the university general assignment reporter. In her free time, she enjoys deadlifting 155 lbs. and telling everyone about it.
