Claim: 18-year-old Alim Garipov, a Bellaire High School student-athlete from Russia, was living in the United States legally before being detained by ICE on July 17 and released on July 20.

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second term, his administration has intensified immigration enforcement, with arrests and deportations drawing renewed attention across the country. Recently, the detention of 18-year-old Alim Garipov, a student at Bellaire High School in the Houston Independent School District, brought another such case into the spotlight.

On Friday, July 17, Garipov was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. An ICE spokesperson later confirmed his detention. However, the 18-year-old was released on July 20, according to U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston. Amid the developments, Garipov’s teacher, Dr. Trevor Boffone, took to Instagram on July 19 to speak out about the case. 

In a video Boffone shared, Boffone urged the public to support the teenager, claiming that Garipov “has been in the country legally for five years, and he has a pending asylum case from Russia.” But Boffone’s claim raises an important question: Was Garipov actually living in the United States legally? Here’s what we found.

Verdict: Partly True

Over the weekend, ICE said Garipov was allowed to enter the U.S. in May 2022 but was permitted to remain in the country for only six months. In short essays compiled for a college admissions recommendation letter, Garipov described his life as an immigrant after arriving in the United States at age 14 without knowing how to speak English.

Friends of the Garipov family previously told Houston Public Media that they were in the process of filing an asylum claim that would allow him to remain in the country legally. However, an ICE spokesperson disputed the notion that a pending asylum application provides legal status.

“A pending application does not confer any type of legal status in the United States,” an ICE spokesperson said following Garipov’s arrest. “If a person enters our country illegally, they are subject to detention or deportation.”

A July 2021 decision by the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) similarly states that a pending asylum application does not constitute lawful immigration status. 

“Policy guidance issued by the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has consistently recognized that filing an application for asylum does not continue or extend lawful status for the purposes of section 245(c) of the Act… The Crocetti memorandum reaffirmed prior guidance stating that the act of applying for asylum does not have the effect of extending nonimmigrant status and does not confer any type of lawful immigration status upon an applicant.”

However, there is an important distinction between having lawful immigration status and being authorized to remain in the United States while an asylum application is pending. According to a 1996 INS Policy Memorandum, an asylum applicant may remain in the country while awaiting a decision on their application.

“Nonimmigrant Classification. While an asylum applicant is authorized to remain in the United States until his or her asylum request has been decided, the act of applying for asylum does not have the effect of extending nonimmigrant status.”

In Garipov’s case, the timeline is therefore significant. He was granted permission to remain in the U.S. for six months after entering the country in May 2022. According to KHOU 11, Garipov’s immigration attorney, Olsa Alikaj-Cano, said the family applied for asylum right after they arrived in the United States in 2022.  

Naturally, a pending asylum application may authorize an applicant to remain in the country while the case is being decided. Yet, it does not retroactively extend or restore the lawful immigration status that had already expired. But since an application was already filed, the 18-year-old was permitted to stay in the country, but he didn’t have legal status. 

Our fact-checking sources:

• Houston Public Media, July 20, 2026. Houston ISD student released from ICE detention three days after arrest, congresswoman says
• 1996 INS Policy Memorandum, April 23, 2026. Policy Clarification Regarding the Effect of Filing for Asylum on Nonimmigrant 
• USCIS, July 15, 2021. Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) decision
• Dr. Trevor Boffone, July 19, 2026. Instagram post
• KHOU11, July 21, 2026. After 72 hours in ICE custody, Bellaire High School student says he’s ready to move forward
• Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, July 20, 2026. Alim Garipov Released From Detention Following Community Advocacy