http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/05/german ... index.html

Immigrant teen heads back to school
German who thought he was American will face hearing

Thursday, January 5, 2006; Posted: 6:02 p.m. EST (23:02 GMT)



Manuel Bartsch leaves the Bedford Heights, Ohio, jail Thursday with attorney David Leopold.
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BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) -- A teenager who is trying to avoid deportation to his native Germany before he graduates from high school was released Thursday from jail, although authorities still say he is in the country illegally.

Manuel Bartsch, 18, had been jailed since December 21 after discovering that his step-grandfather never completed paperwork eight years ago to make his stay in the United States legal.

"It feels great because I get to go home and I get to go to school," he said after emerging from the suburban Cleveland jail where he was held for 16 days.

Bartsch wants to stay in the U.S. until he graduates this spring from Pandora-Gilboa High School in northwest Ohio, where friends and school officials have rallied to support him.

Bartsch must appear before an immigration judge at a later date, said Greg Palmore, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He was released by the agency after it received information that changes his status from being in the country under an expired 90-day visa to entering the country without inspection, Palmore said. He would not say what the information was.

"He's basically an illegal alien," Palmore said.

Bartsch, born in Esselbach, Germany, arrived in the United States on the visa in 1997. But Bartsch's attorney, David Leopold, argued that Bartsch is in the country legally because the U.S. let him return years ago after he and his step-grandfather visited Canada.

His step-grandfather -- a U.S. citizen who was his guardian -- returned to Germany in the summer, leaving Bartsch behind so he could graduate.

Bartsch discovered the incomplete paperwork when he was searching for documents to show he was an American. When he couldn't find any, he contacted U.S. immigration authorities hoping the office would have records. He was detained and jailed.

Asked if he had any hard feelings about his ordeal, Bartsch said, "No," and added, "At this point, I'm happy. Right now I'm going to get to go home."

He planned a quiet first night back home.

"I'll probably have to catch up with homework. I'll see my girlfriend. That's about it," he said.

Bartsch said that through telephone contact with friends, he learned about the support from his school and community in northwest Ohio.

"It shows that people care. I didn't think that people would care, but there's a lot more supporters out there than I thought there was going to be. I'm glad of everybody out there trying to help me. I thank everybody for what they've done."

Bartsch declined to discuss the intricacies of his case. "I can't really talk about it. It's a complicated thing," he said.

He expects to be back in high school Friday and will continue to work toward graduating, he said. After graduating, he said, he's willing to return to Germany if he must do so.

The school planned to have a news conference Friday morning, Superintendent Dale Lewellen said.

"We're thrilled we're going to see him again," said classmate Louis Schulte. "At least he can be home while we continue his case.

"It's just such a depressing feeling to know your friend is in jail."