A Pennsylvania man who came to the U.S. as a child and was once recognized by President Barack Obama is now in federal custody after being detained by immigration authorities following a court hearing.
Darwin Contreras, 27, has lived in the United States since he was seven years old. According to his wife, Elizabeth DeJesus, Contreras was a recipient of the President’s Education Awards Program during Obama’s presidency. Newsweek confirmed the award, dated January 2012.
“This boy had dreams of becoming a soccer player. But during his senior year, he had to drop out and work. So instead, he picked up track and field,” DeJesus told Newsweek, recounting his transition into athletics and his role as a motivator for his team.
After graduating high school, Contreras worked full-time, eventually becoming a father. He later met DeJesus—now 22—and the two married in March. They both work at the same restaurant in Pennsylvania, and Contreras had recently begun applying for U.S. citizenship.
On June 24, while appearing in court in connection with a DUI charge and participating in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, ICE agents were waiting for him. He was taken into custody on the spot, DeJesus said.
“His criminal history includes convictions for theft and marijuana possession,” said Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. “This criminal illegal alien admitted to law enforcement that he is in the country illegally.”
The arrest comes amid President Donald Trump’s intensifying immigration crackdown, which the White House has described as the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
Contreras’ path to the U.S. from El Salvador was fraught with trauma, according to DeJesus. During both of his border crossings, he witnessed violence and death. On his second crossing, he was intercepted by authorities, placed in detention, and later sent to a foster home before eventually reuniting with his mother in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
There, he attended school, won academic and fitness awards—including a Presidential Fitness Award from Obama in middle school—and excelled in athletics. He was named MVP in track and field his senior year.
DeJesus said her husband was blindsided by the ICE detention. Agents wore plain clothes, and she received no immediate information on his whereabouts. She later learned he was taken to Pike County Correctional Facility.
Since being detained, DeJesus says Contreras has struggled mentally and physically.
“At first, when he got there, he was not adjusting well—he was not OK,” she said. “His mental health was not good.”
As they await his next hearing, DeJesus is advocating for his release, hoping that his deep roots in the U.S., their marriage, and his contributions to the community will be enough to keep him in the country he’s called home for two decades.
