Months Later: Winooski Second-Grader and Mom Still Held in Texas ICE Facility; Fate of "Unknown Third Man" Remains Unclear
The mother, her seven-year-old son, and an unidentified adult male were stopped at the Highgate Springs Port of Entry in northern Vermont on Thanksgiving Day.
When a second-grade student at JFK Elementary School in Winooski didn’t return to class after Thanksgiving break on December 1, 2025, school officials quickly activated their rapid response protocol. The boy’s father, who remained in Vermont, told school administrators that his wife and son had been traveling to Minneapolis to visit family and had been detained somewhere in the Midwest, possibly Illinois.
But federal authorities would soon reveal a very different account of what happened during that holiday weekend.
The Border Interdiction: What Federal Officials Say Occurred
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the mother, her seven-year-old son, and an unidentified adult male were stopped at the Highgate Springs Port of Entry in northern Vermont on Thanksgiving Day. Federal authorities report the group had attempted to cross into Canada but were turned back by Canadian border officials.
When U.S. agents inspected the vehicle upon its return, they discovered fraudulent documents in the mother’s possession, including a fake Lawful Permanent Resident card (commonly known as a green card) and a fraudulent Social Security card, according to CBP statements reported by multiple Vermont news outlets.
The discovery transformed what family members had described as a wrong turn during domestic travel into a federal case involving document fraud at an international border crossing.
The Mystery of the Third Person
Federal sources confirmed that an adult male was traveling with the mother and child when they were interdicted at Highgate Springs. This individual was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for “further investigation and processing,” but no additional details about his identity, his relationship to the family, or his current whereabouts have been released by authorities.
His role in the attempted border crossing and current legal status remain unknown.
Where the Mother and Son Are Now
The mother and her seven-year-old son were transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas, a facility designed to house migrant families during immigration proceedings. As of early February 2026, they remain detained there awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge.
An ICE spokesperson stated the hearing will determine whether they will be allowed to remain in the United States or be removed to their home country of Ecuador. Winooski school officials spoke briefly with the mother by phone in December to confirm their location and check on their well-being.
The Family’s Background in Vermont
The family is from Ecuador and had been living in the United States for three years. They had moved to Winooski just two months before the Thanksgiving incident, seeking what they described as a “safe, inclusive environment.”
Ecuador has experienced a dramatic increase in violence over the past three years, with homicide rates quintupling due to drug cartel activity, leading many Ecuadorian families to seek asylum in the United States.
School District and Community Support
The Winooski School District, Vermont’s most diverse district serving many refugee and immigrant families, responded immediately when the student went missing. Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria has been vocal in advocating for the family and criticizing federal immigration enforcement tactics.
The district provided $1,000 from its emergency donor fund to the father in Winooski for immediate expenses, and sent an additional $2,000 directly to the mother in the Texas detention facility through the facility’s online payment system.
Community members, coordinating through Winooski Mutual Aid, have also stepped in to help. Organizer Sarah Lowry reported on February 16, 2026, that they had raised $2,000 to cover the father’s rent and utilities through March, and were seeking an additional $3,000 for April expenses and ongoing legal fees.
The father continues to live in Winooski while his wife and son remain in Texas.
Superintendent’s Own Experience and Advocacy
Superintendent Chavarria has personal experience with federal immigration enforcement. He was detained and questioned for over five hours by CBP agents at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport in July 2025. Chavarria, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nicaragua, said agents demanded access to his school-issued electronic devices and threatened his employment when he refused to provide passwords without a warrant.
In December 2025, Chavarria testified before a congressional forum in Washington, D.C., about both his own detention and the student’s case. He has since filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security alleging Fourth Amendment violations.
Broader Immigration Enforcement in Vermont
The Winooski case is part of what advocacy groups describe as increased federal immigration enforcement activity across Vermont in recent months. Migrant Justice and other organizations have documented multiple detention operations in communities including Jeffersonville, Hardwick, and St. Albans during late 2025.
The Winooski School District adopted a “sanctuary schools” policy earlier in 2025 aimed at protecting students from immigration enforcement on school grounds.
What Happens Next
The immediate future for the mother and son depends on their upcoming hearing before an immigration judge in Texas. The possession of fraudulent documents at the border significantly complicates any asylum claim, as it can be viewed as “material misrepresentation” that undermines credibility with immigration courts.
Legal experts suggest the family faces a difficult path forward. Their attorneys will need to demonstrate either that the mother acted under duress or that the child’s well-being necessitates relief from deportation. Without such arguments succeeding, removal to Ecuador appears to be a likely outcome.
In Winooski, community organizers continue fundraising efforts to support the father while legal proceedings unfold. The identity and status of the third person detained at the border remain unknown, and it’s unclear whether his case is connected to the family’s legal proceedings.
The case continues to highlight tensions between local sanctuary policies and federal immigration enforcement, with Winooski positioned at the center of this national debate.