Cleary University Student Held at ICE Facility as Family Seeks Bond
A 20-year-old Cleary University soccer player from Venezuela has been held at a Michigan ICE detention facility since late May as her family pursues a bond hearing.
HOWELL, MICHIGAN — Karliana Yosdeylin Perdomo-Gotopo, a 20-year-old student-athlete at Cleary University, remains detained at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took her into custody in late May, while her family, attorneys, and university community work toward securing her release on bond.
Family Describes Conditions in Detention
Karliana’s mother, Liliana Gotopo, told the Michigan Advance that she has been in contact with her daughter during her detention, but described the conditions as difficult. “We have talked to her and the truth is that nothing is easy for what she is going through, the very bad diet, sleeping, schedules, all the limitations of a detainee,” Gotopo wrote in Spanish to the Michigan Advance. “The truth is that she doesn’t deserve that.”
“It’s not easy to think about everything she’s going through there, being away from home,” Gotopo wrote. “Eating while she eats poorly or is hungry is not easy.”
Gotopo said her primary hope is that Karliana will be able to complete her studies and graduate on time. The family is currently working with an attorney to arrange a bond hearing.
A Path Built Through Education
Karliana came to the United States from Venezuela as an unaccompanied minor at age 16, entering through the border before relocating to Michigan as a high school student in 2022. She graduated from Western International High School in Detroit with honors in 2023.
After earning her associate’s degree at St. Clair County Community College, she transferred to Cleary University in Howell, where she joined the women’s soccer team. Her academic record reflects a consistent pattern of achievement since arriving in the United States.
University Community Rallies in Support
Karliana’s detention has prompted a show of support from the broader Cleary University community, according to the Michigan Advance. Fellow students, faculty, and staff have backed efforts to secure her release as the family continues to pursue legal options.
ICE agents initially detained Karliana in Lincoln Park. She has been held at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin since late May 2026, according to the Michigan Advance.
