PARK CITY, Utah — Weeks after his detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement drew statewide attention, Lisandro Pacheco is back home in Park City — reunited with family but still facing an unresolved immigration case.
WATCH: 22-year-old Utahn detained by ICE while heading to work
For the first time since his release, Pacheco sat down with FOX 13 News to discuss his time in detention, the backlash surrounding his case and the future he says he is trying to rebuild.
While detained, Pacheco filled a small composition notebook with journal entries and letters to his girlfriend, including passages about the proposal he said he had planned before he was taken into custody.
“Your warmth and hearing your heartbeat is all I’ll ever need in this life,” he read from one entry.
Pacheco said he had already purchased a ring before his detention and still plans to propose.
His detention prompted an outpouring of support from family, friends and community members in Park City, where more than 60 supporters gathered outside his attorney’s office to call for his release. During the rally, family members stood tearfully beside supporters as attorney Adam Crayk argued for Pacheco’s release from custody.
Now back home, Pacheco said the adjustment has been emotional.
“Being home feels surreal. I never thought I’d be back,” he said.
The case also drew criticism online after claims circulated that Pacheco was preparing to graduate from the University of Utah — something he later acknowledged was false.
“First and foremost, I just want to sincerely apologize to everyone who believed that,” Pacheco said during the interview.
He said he never expected the false claim to spread as widely as it did.
Despite the controversy, Pacheco said his long-term plans remain unchanged. He said he intends to continue school, graduate and eventually pursue medical school.
He also addressed criticism surrounding his immigration status, saying he has lived in Utah since infancy and has spent years working toward citizenship.
“Filing applications is very expensive to hardworking people such as my parents, such as me,” he said.
Although Pacheco has been released, his legal case is still ongoing.
A federal release order states that if the government attempts to detain him again, officials must provide at least seven days’ notice and hold a bond hearing first.
For now, Pacheco said he is focused on reuniting with family and continuing the life he says was interrupted by his detention.
