Where Mexican Official Says 'Affluenza' Teen Is Being Held Before Possible Deportation
Ethan Couch is still in Mexico but his mom Tonya is in California.
— -- The latest updates in the "affluenza" manhunt has led to Ethan Couch and his mother expected to ring in the New Year from police custody in two different countries.
Lawyers and court officials in both Mexico and the United States are still processing the statuses of Ethan and Tonya Couch.
Here is the latest update on the case that has caused international drama.
Where is Ethan Couch?
A Mexican immigration official confirmed that Ethan is being held at a migrant detention center in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City which is technically not a jail or prison. He is expected to stay there while his deportation appeal is considered.
While at that facility, he is being held in a room with other foreigners, and each room typically holds four or five people. Many of the foreingers are from Central America but there are others from various parts of the globe.
He has been granted a three-day stay in his deportation case, which will now go before a judge who could potentially take longer to make a decision, according to a government official. It was unclear how long that might take.
Where is Tonya Couch?
Tonya Couch, 48, was seen arriving in Los Angeles in handcuffs while escorted by U.S. Marshals officials.
She was being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles, police said, as they wait for Texas authorities to take her home.
Texas' Tarrant County District Attorney has formally charged her with Hindering Apprehension of a Felon and set bail at $1 million. It is still unclear when she will be transported from California to Texas.
It is currently unclear why she was transported to California as opposed to Texas. Earlier on Wednesday, Mexican officials told ABC News that she would be put on a flight to Houston Wednesday afternoon.
At one point Wednesday, it was believed that she would be granted a temporary stay of deportation but a Mexican immigration official has now told ABC News that officials never received the necessary paperwork to allow for her deportation to be delayed.
Today, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to ABC News that she is in segregation, which means that she is effectively in solitary confinement.
It is unclear when authorities from Tarrant County, Texas will be arriving in California to transport her back to her home state.
Will They Ever be Transported Back to Texas?
Since Tonya Couch is back in the U.S. and in the custody of American law enforcement, it is very likely that she will be back in Texas sooner than her son.
The timeline for Ethan's return to the States is less clear, however, since it is entirely dependant on the schedule in the Mexican court that will be hearing his case.
