Mississippi
Latest Coverage
See all articles
MS GOP trying to help Makoka brothers arrested by ICE
Two top U.S. lawmakers from Mississippi have issued public statements a week after two brothers were taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at the school bus stop in Diamondhead.
Cong. Mike Ezell and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, both Republicans, said in statements posted to social media they are “monitoring” the situation after Israel and Max Makoka — 18 and 15, respectively — were arrested and sent to ICE processing facilities in Louisiana and Texas.
The brothers and Hancock High School basketball stars are from the Republic of Congo and are in the U.S. on student visas. Educators, coaches and classmates have described the students as beloved members of the close-knit community in Hancock County.
Israel and Max’s host mother, Gail Baptiste, said a clerical error created a lapse in visa status when the boys transferred from a private school in central Mississippi to a large public school on the Gulf Coast. Baptiste and her husband were never informed of the issue and said they would have fixed it if given the opportunity.
The public arrest of the brothers has caused a massive outcry in Hancock County, a deeply conservative area of the Mississippi Coast that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections. Residents have implored Ezell and Hyde-Smith to intervene and bring the teens home.
“My office is doing what it can to work with the guardians of Max and Israel Makoka as they deal with an ongoing and complex immigration case,” Hyde-Smith said on Wednesday on Facebook. “We will continue to monitor the situation and work toward the best possible solution within the law.”
Ezell, a Mississippi Coast resident, said the arrests have “raised serious concerns in the community” and his office is in contact with federal agencies to “better understand the circumstances.”
The statements have generated hundreds of comments, with a majority imploring both lawmakers to take more action or demand the Makokas be released from ICE custody.
Earlier this week, Baptiste said she had been in touch with Hyde-Smith’s office and thanked the senator for stepping in.