An international student at the University of Florida who was detained by federal immigration officials last month after a traffic stop has returned to his home country of Colombia.
The student, Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, was arrested March 28 for driving with a suspended license and an expired vehicle registration.
He told the officers who pulled him over that he was in the process of renewing his F-1 visa after transferring from Santa Fe College in Gainesville to nearby UF four years ago.
Zapata Velásquez had his license suspended after being ticketed in December 2023 for driving with an expired registration and without a valid license, according to the Gainesville Sun.
He never paid the fines, which resulted in his US license being suspended.
In August 2021, he was also pulled over and ticketed for driving 75 mph in a 45 mph zone. He pleaded no contest and was ordered to fork over $349, but didn’t pay those fines either, resulting in the suspension of his Colombian driver’s license, according to the outlet.
Federal immigration agents brought him to Jacksonville and offered him the option to self-deport to Colombia or stay in jail in the US until the conclusion of his court case, his mother, Claudia Velásquez, said in an interview with NTN24.
Zapata Velásquez, a junior studying food and resource economics, reportedly opted to remain in the US, at which point he was taken to Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami days after his arrest, his mother told the outlet.
A statement by his mother later said he had returned to Colombia, but she did not specify whether he had been deported by immigration authorities or signed the self-deportation paperwork.
“I am pleased to inform that my son has returned to [Colombia] – from Miami. However, his immigration and academic situation with the University of Florida has not yet been resolved,” she said in a statement translated from Spanish.
“At this moment, Felipe is in a process of physical and emotional recovery, and we are prioritizing his well-being and overall health,” she said. “I sincerely appreciate the interest, solidarity and support that many have expressed regarding my son’s situation.”
Zapata Velásquez’s mother said she was unsure whether her son would be allowed back in the US — and the Gainesville officers who arrested him last month speculated whether the case would jeopardize his status in the country.
“There goes his ability to get another visa, though,” Officer Tyler Allen said to a fellow officer during the traffic stop, as seen on bodycam footage.
Politicians — including Sunshine State Democratic Reps. Yvonne Hinson and Maxwell Frost both sharply criticized Zapata Velásquez’s detention by ICE.