Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz should have been safe. An 18-year-old student at Reseda Charter High School, Benjamin was simply walking his dog when masked immigration agents stopped him, took him into custody, and left his dog tied to a tree on Sepulveda Boulevard.

Benjamin is not just a student. He is a devoted son and a caring brother who helps raise his baby twin brothers and his 6-year-old sibling. He is also a loyal friend and a valued member of his Los Angeles community. Now his life and his family’s future have been upended — all because immigration agents decided to target a teenager on his way home.

No high school student should live in fear of being taken away by federal agents on their neighborhood street. This is not safety. This is not justice. It is cruelty that destabilizes families and traumatizes entire communities. When children and young people are targeted, classrooms and neighborhoods become places of fear instead of learning and belonging.

Immigration enforcement should never come at the expense of children and students. Benjamin deserves to come home. And families like his deserve to know that their kids will be safe walking to school, caring for siblings, or taking the family dog for a walk.

We are calling on the Department of Homeland Security and immigration authorities to release Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz immediately and to adopt clear protections that prevent high school students from being detained in this way again. Students should be focused on their futures, not fighting deportation from the sidewalks of their own communities.

Sign this petition to demand justice for Benjamin and to protect all high school students from being torn from their families by immigration raids. No teenager should have to fear being arrested on their way home.