Man arrested, facing possible deportation days after helping save girl in shark attack

Authored by nbcmiami.com and submitted by OkayButFoRealz

Luis Alvarez, a construction worker who went into the Gulf to help save a 9-year-old shark attack victim in Florida is now possibly facing deportation.

Alvarez was arrested just days after saving the girl and is now being held at the Collier County Jail, according to NBC affiliate Gulf Coast News.

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He was arrested after being pulled over by deputies in Immokalee for reportedly driving without headlights.

When he was asked for his license, Alvarez showed his "employment authorization card" from his phone, so when officers learned he did not have a driver's license, they arrested him, according to the arrest report.

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"He is someone with a work permit that is legally authorized to work here in the United States, is told by police for driving without a license. I don't know why this person is being detained by ICE if he had a work permit, unless he has a criminal background," immigration attorney Ricardo Skerrett told Gulf Coast News.

Alvarez also told an officer that he has been in the country and hasn't had a driver's license for the past two and a half years.

Raynel Lugo, another man who helped rescue the girl involved in the shark attack, told Gulf Coast News that Alvarez's family is now seeking guidance from an immigration lawyer.

"This guy, I think Luis deserved a second opportunity. I think after what he went through, after what people saw in the news, that he didn't think about it twice to save that little girl," said Lugo.

Alvarez remains at Collier County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on July 9.

Alps-Mountain on July 3rd, 2025 at 00:03 UTC »

If someone read off Trump's rap sheet to a MAGA but told them it was for an immigrant, they'd demand for that immigrant to be deported.

MechOnBoard on July 2nd, 2025 at 23:59 UTC »

Rember the immigrant who climbed a building in France to rescue a child who was about to fall? I believe he was awarded citizenship and a job at the fire department. We need to do better.

CantAffordzUsername on July 2nd, 2025 at 23:57 UTC »

Driving without a license…

Our President is a 34x timed convicted felon…we going to deport him?