Park City graduate detained by ICE days before University of Utah graduation

A Park City High School graduate who was days from walking at the University of Utah was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement early Wednesday, turning a milestone week into a custody fight for one Summit County family.

Lisandro Pantaleon Pacheco, 22, was picked up around 5:30 a.m. on State Route 224 while on his way to work in Park City, according to his attorney, Adam Crayk. Family members said he was being held in Evanston, Wyoming, a detail that added another layer of uncertainty to a case already shadowed by graduation and a new job.

Pacheco had come to the United States from Mexico when he was 1 year old, Crayk said, and his family and attorney said he had no criminal history beyond a traffic citation. He was scheduled to receive his bachelor’s degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah’s College of Health, with the university’s 2026 general commencement set for Thursday, April 30, at 6 p.m. at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

The timing was stark. Pacheco was detained on April 29, then the university’s main commencement took place the next day on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. What should have been a transition from student life to the next job and the next phase of adulthood instead became a question of where he would be held, what process would follow, and how quickly his family could respond.

He had been scheduled to start a new job at The Bagel Den on the day he was detained. Family members also said he had recently bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose to his girlfriend after graduation, a plan that now sits on hold. Britney Xiques said Park City had shown strong support for him.

For Summit County, the case reaches beyond one family. It ties a Park City High graduate to federal immigration enforcement at a moment usually marked by celebration, not detention, and it puts the local school system, the University of Utah pipeline and immigrant families under the same spotlight. The case also comes as Utah has seen rising ICE activity, adding urgency to questions about how often similar detentions are affecting students and young adults across the state.