Family of UF Student Who Self-Deported Is Fighting to Return Him to U.S.

The family of a University of Florida student who self-deported to his native Colombia last month after he was detained by immigration officials is fighting to return him to U.S. soil.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by the loved ones of Felipe Zapata Velásquez — a 28-year-old Colombian international student who chose to self-deport to his home country after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a traffic stop in late March — is raising money to help him return to the U.S. and complete his studies at UF.

"He came to the U.S. to pursue a dream of education, growth, and giving back. That dream is now hanging in the balance," the fundraiser states. "We — Felipe’s family, friends, and supporters — are raising funds to help ease the heavy burden of this experience and to support the legal fight to bring Felipe back and restore his life and dignity."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign has raised more than $6,400 toward its $10,000 goal.

Zapata Velásquez was just one of more than 1,800 international students who were abruptly stripped of their ability to stay in the U.S. before the Trump administration abruptly reversed course last week, reinstating thousands of student visas across the nation and leaving dozens of Florida students in limbo.

Like many of the other students who lost their visas, Zapata Velásquez was in the U.S. under an F-1 visa, which allows international students to study in this country.

On March 28, the Gainesville Police Department arrested Zapata Velásquez for driving with an expired license and registration tag. Three days later, Alachua County Jail officials released him to ICE, which transported him to the Krome Detention Center in Miami for further processing. On April 6, ICE confirmed his voluntary departure to Colombia.

As New Times previously reported, Zapata Velásquez appears to have been the first instance in which ICE detained a Florida college student since President Donald Trump commenced his immigration crackdown.

An ICE spokesperson told New Times that Zapata Velásquez's student status was terminated from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) in October 2024 owing to his failure to enroll. (Students must enroll in SEVIS at the start of each school year to maintain their F-1 status).

Yet UF spokesperson Steve Orlando said that he was enrolled at the university at the time, and was also enrolled last fall. Orlando confirmed that as of April 29, Zapata Velásquez remains enrolled at UF but he declined to provide additional details, citing student privacy laws.