Overview
- ICE agents arrested Johan Efrain Sandoval Rodriguez during a targeted operation on July 3 and he remains in custody at the Buffalo service processing center in Batavia, New York, pending removal proceedings.
- Department of Homeland Security and ICE say Sandoval’s F‑1 student status was terminated or had expired in April 2025, which the agencies say made him subject to immigration enforcement.
- Sandoval’s lawyer contends federal records reflect a clerical I‑20 problem that left officials with no record of his enrollment even though Savannah State shows he was enrolled and competing on a scholarship baseball roster.
- The student’s family has retained an immigration attorney and launched a GoFundMe to seek bond and cover legal fees, while Savannah State and Savannah’s mayor say they are assisting the family but cannot release student records because of privacy rules.
- Advocates warn the case highlights how administrative visa terminations and paperwork errors can trigger detention for international students, and they are pressing for clearer procedures for bond, counsel access, and record fixes that could let students return to school.