Federal immigration officials are defending the arrest of a high school student who was detained on his way to volleyball practice.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston field office, said the 18-year-old was taken into custody Saturday because he is in the country illegally.

“We were looking for his father,” Lyons said at a news conference Monday. “Obviously, he isn’t father of the year. He brought his son up here illegally as well.”

Lyons said officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle the teen was driving and determined he was in the U.S. unlawfully. He emphasized that ICE agents have the authority to detain individuals who are in the country illegally.

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