Friends and family members of Lisandro Pantaleon Pacheco were shocked to learn Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had detained the Park City High School graduate on his way to work last month, describing Pacheco as a quiet young man who prioritized his education and community.
“I always admired him as a person and the way he carried himself,” said Alexis Montalvo, who grew up in the same neighborhood as Pacheco. “He really is a kind soul that you can lean on, and I always had confidence in him if I had something on my mind. I would always ask for his opinion because I knew he would come at it with a positive light that would point me in the right direction.”
Jesus Reyes, Pacheco’s cousin, also grew up in the same neighborhood. He said Pacheco was a shy kid when they were little, but he was a good sport and let the other kids roughhouse with him anyway. The duo and their friends spent a lot of time outdoors and developed an interest in BMX bikes as they got older, often gathering a group of 10 or more to ride around Park City after school.
“I would always see him on campus with his bike pulling off random tricks,” Montalvo said. “It was so good to see him doing that because I think biking was good for him. It was something that he always carried on, and I think (his girlfriend) Britney made a comment that he built his own bike recently and assembled it on his own. I wouldn’t be surprised given how far back his interest in biking goes.”
Pacheco also loves fashion, a hobby he started experimenting with in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. Reyes said Pacheco would often talk to him about designer brands and developed his own creative style by piecing together outfits.
“People would compliment his style all the time,” Reyes said.
Montalvo would join in on neighborhood shenanigans, too, although he joked he wasn’t allowed to ride with “the BMXers,” as Pacheco would call his friends, because he preferred to ride scooters. He said he knew Pacheco when they were little kids, but the two didn’t become close until high school, when they joined Latinos in Action, a program designed to empower and help Latino youth with college and career readiness.
“We would always ask him to hang out outside of class, but he would always prioritize going to class and then having to go to work,” Montalvo said. “He put himself through school, so it’s tough to see this whole situation that’s happening to him.”
Montalvo said Pacheco took his mentorship responsibilities with Latinos in Action seriously and took an interest in leadership, always bringing a bright, energetic light to the classroom.
Pacheco took his motivation and passion for education with him to the University of Utah, which is how he met Xochitl Juarez through the school’s First-Generation Scholars program. Juarez was Pacheco’s mentor, responsible for checking in with him and supporting him.
“My first impression of him was that he was a very humble kid,” Juarez said. “He was very quiet, but he always had a smile on his face. He was always very positive, and he engaged right away and was very respectful.”
Juarez said Pacheco would stay after every class to help her clean the room, and he made an effort to attend every social gathering the group would host despite living in Park City and commuting to school.
“He always spoke from the heart,” Juarez said. “Even when he didn’t know exactly what to say, even when his voice would shake, he knew that by participating, he was going to learn, and he was open to that, so it was really cool to see his growth.”
Pacheco’s friends and family originally thought he would be graduating from the University of Utah this semester with his bachelor’s degree, but they learned after his detainment that Pacheco had run out of money to continue his education. Juarez said Pacheco was in a difficult situation familiar to immigrant families.
“I graduated from high school in 2010, and then I went straight to the U, but as a first-gen, undocumented student, I felt super lost,” Juarez said. “I couldn’t ask my parents for help because they don’t know how to navigate the college education system in the United States, so I ended up dropping out.”
Nine years later, Juarez had received her legal documentation, birthed two kids and was working, which triggered her decision to return to school. She said she often used her own story as an example in the First-Generation Scholars program, including conversations with Pacheco.
“I would always talk to Lisandro and tell him it didn’t matter if he needed to take a break and that there are always people willing to help,” Juarez said. “I know it’s hard, but we’ve got a community. … He’s very dedicated to his family and to school, but it’s hard to navigate both of those responsibilities.”
Reyes said family is still at the forefront of Pacheco’s mind despite his detainment. He said Pacheco seems to be in good spirits whenever he has a chance to call, but he’s been worrying about his family and how they’re doing in his absence.
“Honestly, I feel like a lot of the Latino community is scared to go outside,” Reyes added. “Before, I would see almost every car in our parking lot gone on Sunday because they would be going out to eat, going to church, basic stuff like that, but now it’s almost full every day.”
Montalvo echoed Reyes’ sentiments, saying it was difficult to see someone he’s known since childhood detained by ICE and that it makes other Latino families think about what they would need to do if someone in their family is similarly arrested.
“It’s a horrible experience,” he said. “You pray every night and every day that your family comes home. … It’s something that no one should go through, but it’s the situation we live in now. Thankfully, we live in a community in Park City that is really true to its word, and they are there to back everyone up.”
Pacheco was detained by ICE agents on his way to work in Kimball Junction two weeks ago. His attorney, Adam Crayk, said Pacheco has no criminal history and that his mother brought him from Mexico to the United States when he was only 1 year old, which he argued was a misdemeanor committed by an infant.
Pacheco was briefly held in Evanston, Wyoming, before he was transferred to a second facility in California. Crayk and his family are currently working toward his release.