Costa Rican Creator Julián Valjota Is in ICE Custody in Florida After a Traffic Stop

Summary:

• Costa Rican content creator Valverde detained in Florida by ICE after a traffic stop.

• ICE detainer issued, Valverde in custody in Bartow, Florida without bond eligibility.

• Calls for consular assistance and criticism of ICE over Valverde’s detention rise in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican content creator Julián Valverde, known online as Julián Valjota, is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida, a case that began with a traffic stop and escalated into an immigration proceeding.

Valverde, 26, whose full name is José Julián Valverde Meneses, is being processed by U.S. immigration authorities, according to a source close to the case. He has lived in the United States for five years.

 

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Costa Rican outlets reported that Valverde was stopped Wednesday, Sept. 16, while driving in Orlando with his sister in the car. A Polk County booking record lists him as detained Sept. 17 for driving with a license that had been expired more than six months, and shows an ICE detainer requested on behalf of another agency. He is listed as in custody and not eligible for bond. The record placed him in a jail in Bartow, Florida.

The license charge explains the local arrest. It does not establish his immigration status or the reason ICE placed the hold.

An ICE detainer is a request that local authorities keep someone in custody for up to 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, after they would otherwise be released, so federal agents can take over. A detainer alone does not mean a person has a deportation order or will be deported.

News of the detention broke Thursday. Fellow creator Christopher Araya, who posts as Araya Vlogs, went public first, saying Valverde had been held roughly 24 hours and had not yet appeared before a judge. Araya said Valverde asked him to share the information to stop rumors. Valverde’s last post, published Wednesday night, was a video shot inside his car with a patrol vehicle visible behind him. In it, he joked about heading back to Costa Rica, telling viewers to be careful what they wish for because he had not told them how he would be returning.

Journalist Elías Alvarado confirmed the custody Thursday night. He had earlier reported that Valverde did not appear in ICE records. Alvarado, a U.S. correspondent for Telenoticias, said no official information establishes the circumstances of the detention, Valverde’s current immigration status, or whether he faces a final order of removal.

Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry said its Consular Department and the Consulate General in Miami are aware of the case and are making inquiries with U.S. immigration authorities. Costa Rica is among the countries whose nationals are subject to mandatory consular notification when detained in the United States.

The case reached the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, where Frente Amplio lawmaker Joselyn Sáenz asked the state to provide consular assistance to Valverde and to other Costa Ricans in similar situations. She said that if they have to return to Costa Rica, they should return safe and alive. Sáenz also criticized ICE over what she described as inhumane, degrading and discriminatory treatment.

Sáenz invoked the case of Randall Gamboa, saying she did not want what happened to him to happen to Valverde or any other Costa Rican. Gamboa, 52, was arrested by ICE in Texas and deported to Costa Rica in a vegetative state. He died Oct. 26, 2025, and his family attributed his death to medical neglect in custody. An autopsy by Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency concluded he died of natural causes, with the report sent to prosecutors in March 2026. The Guardian and El País both covered the case.

Valverde’s detention has not been addressed publicly by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security. His next steps in immigration proceedings remain unclear.