Alvaro Castro Velasquez’s story is one that continues to resonate across Roosevelt. Arriving in the district as a ninth grader, he came to New York after a difficult journey from Guatemala through Texas.
Despite the challenges of being an undocumented immigrant, he quickly became part of the Roosevelt High School family—working hard in the classroom, treating others with kindness, and earning the respect of his peers and teachers.
His grades and attendance were strong, and by spring 2025, he had completed the requirements to graduate.
But just weeks before commencement, Alvaro was detained by immigration authorities after the vehicle he was in was pulled over and eventually sent to a detention center in Texas, far from the home he had built here. His absence at graduation deeply affected classmates, teachers, and the wider community.
Determined to honor his achievement, Superintendent Shawn Wightman traveled to Texas to personally deliver Alvaro’s diploma, underscoring the district’s commitment to its students.
In the following conversation with the Herald, the superintendent reflects on Alvaro’s journey, the impact of his detention on the school community, and what the experience reveals about Roosevelt’s values and resilience.
The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What was your first reaction when you learned that Velasquez had been detained by ICE?
A: I was actually, I mean, I was shocked. I was, you know, also in disbelief, I just couldn’t believe it was happening here in Roosevelt. You know, you hear about these things in the media, watching on TV, in the news, but yet you don’t think that’s something that could happen here.
I initially thought when it first — I was shocked. I was upset. Of course, I was concerned for the family. That was my first initial thought was oh my gosh, what’s going on with him, you know, what about the family.
Q: What compelled you to take a trip down to Texas to deliver Velasquez his diploma and what was that experience like for you?
A: Well, you know, it was something that I wanted to do because he was a student of mine, a student in the district, and I didn’t feel like it was something that he should have been denied the opportunity to have.
I was wanting to just say, you know, you’ve been denied the opportunity to go to the commencement graduation, but you were not going to be — I should say it was graduation delayed, in other words, rather than denied. And I felt compelled to go there.
I felt bad for the for the young man and the family, and had to make an arrangement to be put on a list for me to even meet with him. You can’t just randomly show up and decide you want to talk to, you know a person that has been detained in these facilities, you actually have to get your name on a list to be able to sit down and meet with them. And I was fortunately able to get my name on a list by reaching out to his brother, and he, in turn, was able to get me — through the lawyer that Alvaro —has my name added so I can at least have an opportunity to sit down, speak with him, see how things are going.
(I wanted to see if there was) anything we could do to help him and, of course, having the opportunity to speak with him about, you know, him in his personal life, what he’s been going through, and also giving him the opportunity to get his diploma.
And, you know, I brought the yearbook with me, the program, his diploma, his cap and gown. I had my regalia, but, you know, I wasn’t allowed to bring that in, of course, unfortunately, into the detention center because, of course, that’s prohibit.
Q: So he wasn’t able to receive the things you brought?
A: Nothing. They did give me an opportunity to speak with him. I was brought into this, this room, and on the other side of the was another room of this, you know, glass window that you would speak through. And, you know, he came in and sat down, we had a conversation — about an hour — about a lot of different things.
Q: What sort of things were on his mind?
A: He wanted to know how things were going on and he appreciated me coming out to see him. I was, I think, probably asking a lot of questions. You know, I was asking him how he was doing. I mean, you could tell he’d lost weight. (I asked) if he’d had a chance to speak with anybody in the family, and he had told me that he had. They do get some time to speak with family members that have the ability to do the FaceTime thing, you know, back and forth. But even that’s kind of limited, I asked him how things were going on the legal end, if he needed any help, he said that he had a good lawyer, and he said that he was expecting to come back to New York to have his hearing.
You know they were basically telling him that, you know, if you choose not to self deport, they need, it will be 10 years before you even will be even allowed to even come back into the United States, which is kind of like a, you know, a stark reality. And he’s telling me that I might have to self deport out of the country. You know, we talked a little bit about work. He had a part time job parking cars at Franklin Square as a valet. We talked a little about what he wanted to do after high school. And he was telling me he wanted to go to Nassau Community College, take some classes and maybe even start a business.
Q: So how do you think the news has affected or increased any sort of anxiety among other sort of immigrant students and families who attend Roosevelt?
A: I think that it is created more stress on our families the, I’ll just say, you know, the situation created real pain and anxiety in our school community. Students and staff have expressed fear and sadness over what happened. Our educator see our students as people first.
You know, as an immigration case, for example you know, it’s not about a young man whose life future are basically uncertain
And the community — I will say this — the response from teacher staff and you know peers and community members clearly says that they care about this. You know a young man and these individuals that are going through this. And you know, I would also say this, the community here is also fearful, you know, that this could happen to their family too.
Q: What’s Alvaro’s status right now? Is he still in detention?
A: He’s still in Texas right now. He’s still in Texas.
Q: Do you have any idea about the timeline that he can expect looking forward?
A: I know that he’s supposed to be deported sometime in October.
Q: Has this experience changed the way you think about your responsibility as a superintendent, particularly when it comes to students facing challenges beyond academics?
A: I will tell you this, I’m an advocate for kids. I’m an advocate for education, and I’m an advocate for people. You don’t get to be superintendent in this type of position and everything if you don’t have those three things that you’re a proponent for. One of the one of the things I feel is a human right is a person’s right to an education, and a better future or better life. And this young man earned his diploma here in Roosevelt, and he should have the right to take that and to do whatever he wants to do with it.
Q: Is there anything else you want to add?
A: I guess the last piece is just hope, you know, I’m hopeful this is gonna work itself out.
I do plan on going to Guatemala. And having the opportunity to connect with Alvaro again.
I’ll bring all the items out there that I was not given the opportunity to bring in there at the detention center when I visited him in Texas. And we’ll have our, our, I’m gonna give him some closure.
