On Wednesday, June 17, the U.S. government issued a statement regarding the detention of Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido—known as Beto Coral, a Colombian activist and influencer aligned with the *Petrismo* movement—who was taken into custody the previous day in Arizona.
According to official information, Coral was detained on June 16 by U.S. federal authorities. The case falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which confirmed the reasons for the arrest and the initiation of immigration proceedings that could result in his deportation to Colombia.
U.S. authorities stated that Coral entered the country in December 2015 on a B1/B2 visa, which allowed him to remain legally in U.S. territory for a period of six months. However, according to the U.S. government, he remained in the country for approximately ten years after that permit expired.
“On June 16, ICE arrested Franklin Humberto Coral-Garrido, an undocumented immigrant from Colombia. Coral-Garrido entered the country in December 2015 on a B1/B2 visa that allowed him to stay in the country for six months. In violation of our nation’s laws, he remained in the country beyond the time permitted by his visa for 10 years,” the Department of Homeland Security stated.
In the same statement, the agency confirmed that the Colombian national would remain in custody while immigration authorities carry out the necessary procedures. “He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the official statement noted.
