He Went to an ICE Check-In — Minutes Later, He Was Handcuffed and Told He Could Be Deported to Guyana

• ICE Detains Brazilian National
• May Be Sent to Guyana
• Lawyer Seeks to Halt Deportation

A West Hollywood resident was detained by ICE agents during a suddenly scheduled immigration check-in this week, according to ABC 7.

Alex Pereira-Alves, a native of Brazil, remains in custody at the Adelanto Detention Center and faces the possibility of swift deportation.

ICE Detains Brazilian National During Immigration Check-in

West Hollywood man detained by ICE during immigration check-in

“‘At the moment he’s being shipped off to Guyana with no belongings and not his dog. His dog is the center of his life,’” said Alex’s friend, Jeff Markwardt.” https://t.co/1hBBhl0YSe

— 7X (@99024c3da3dd4dc) August 14, 2026

His friends claim that authorities intend to send him to Guyana, despite his lawyer asserting that she did not receive adequate notification.

“At the moment he’s being shipped off to Guyana with no belongings and not his dog. His dog is the center of his life,” said Jeff Markwardt.

Markwardt is now caring for Bella, Alex’s beloved companion, as he tries to make sense of how his friend’s situation changed in a matter of days.

Alex has lived in West Hollywood for years, working as a security guard and personal trainer.

An ICE Call Changed His Immigration Plans

A longtime West Hollywood resident from Brazil was suddenly detained by ICE agents during an immigration check-in and friends fear he could be deported to Guyana.

Alex Pereira-Alves is now staring down the fate of swift deportation.

Read more at https://t.co/CUvwl9PIDy pic.twitter.com/6OobQcSsJL

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 14, 2026

According to Markwardt, Alex received an unexpected call from an ICE official on Monday, asking him to report the next day.

“On Monday, he got a call from an ICE official saying, ‘You need to report tomorrow, at the center,’” Markwardt recounted.

“Out of the blue, unexpected, sudden,” Markwardt added, describing how the summons occurred.

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His lawyer, Jane Oaks, asserts that Alex has lived and worked legally in Southern California since 2018.

That year, according to Oaks, a judge granted a stay of a deportation order as long as Alex maintained a regular status.

The lawyer claims that her client has complied with that condition since then.

During the second Trump administration, Alex was subjected to electronic monitoring, as has occurred with other immigrants.

However, he did not have another immigration check-in scheduled until November.

The situation changed when he received instructions to report to the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Alex Was Handcuffed Minutes After Arriving

Alex attended the ICE-scheduled check-in, but, according to his lawyer, was detained almost immediately.

“Within the first five minutes of his arrival, they handcuffed him and detained him, and told him, ‘We’re going to deport you,’” Oaks recounted.

Alex responded in surprise to the news, according to the account provided by the lawyer.

“They said, ‘We know you can’t be sent to Brazil, but we found Guyana, which is willing to receive you,’” Oaks added.

The possibility of being sent to Guyana provoked fear in Alex, according to Markwardt’s account.

“He was terrified. I had never heard him cry, sob like that,” his friend said.

Markwardt claimed that Alex directly expressed his fear about what could happen if he is deported.

“He told me, ‘They’re going to kill me,’” Markwardt recalled.

While Alex remains in detention in Adelanto, his friends are also concerned about Bella, the dog who is central to Alex’s life.

His Lawyer Seeks to Halt Deportation

Alex’s friends and legal representation claim that he was denied due process during his detention.

For that reason, Oaks is preparing a habeas corpus petition and seeking an emergency intervention from a judge.

“That’s why we have a basis for this habeas corpus petition. It’s because it was done without proper notification,” the lawyer explained.

Oaks noted that Alex originally had a check-in scheduled for November 18.

However, he received a call to report the next morning and was detained when he arrived at the location.

“Suddenly, they call him and tell him to report the next morning, only to detain him at that moment,” Oaks said.

The lawyer said she planned to file the motion on Thursday night.

Now they hope that a judge can act quickly in the face of the possibility that Alex may be deported.

His legal team and friends do not know how much time they have to try to stop the process.