Two promising younger mariachi musicians and their parents, who have been being held in ICE detention for practically two weeks after they have been detained by the Department of Homeland Security in Texas, have been released, based on an X post from US Rep. Joaquin Castro, who met two of the brothers throughout their journey to Capitol Hill final 12 months.
Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar, 14, and Joshua Gámez-Cuéllar, 12, had been held with their parents on the South Texas Family Residential Center, a facility in Dilley.
Their brother, Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, was additionally released after being held at a separate facility in Raymondville, Texas. He appeared at a information convention Monday with US Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican, outdoors the power.
“The Gámez-Cuéllar family has been released,” Castro mentioned within the publish alongside images of the household. “We are taking them now to reunite with their son Antonio,” Castro mentioned within the publish.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed the household’s launch in an announcement to NCS on Monday evening, including, “They will have mandatory check-ins with ICE law enforcement.”
On Monday evening, the household spoke to the media about their expertise in detention, with Luis Antonio Gámez Martínez, the brothers’ father, calling the Dilley facility a “horrible place” and thanking everybody who supported them.
Less than a 12 months in the past, Antonio and Caleb have been acknowledged on Capitol Hill for their award-winning performances in a premier highschool mariachi group. Word of the gifted musicians’ detention unfold by means of their hometown of McAllen, and the mariachi musicians’ neighborhood within the space and across the nation, as some state leaders decry DHS techniques that once more landed kids in federal custody.
Their parents, Gámez Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar López, have been arrested by ICE on February 25, based on DHS. The company mentioned the household had been dwelling within the US after coming into illegally in 2023 close to Brownsville, Texas.
“They chose to bring their adult son and two children with them,” a DHS spokesperson mentioned in an earlier assertion in regards to the household’s detention.
Castro and different lawmakers say the household adopted all the guidelines wanted to enter the US by claiming asylum.
Efrén C. Olivares, an legal professional with the National Immigration Law Center representing Antonio, informed the Associated Press the household entered the US lawfully in 2023 by means of the CBP One app, a authorized pathway.
The household’s case continues to be pending, Castro mentioned. NCS has reached out to the household’s attorneys for additional data.
Gámez Martínez insisted he and his spouse all the time attended their required courtroom appointments, telling NCS affiliate KRGV, “I was never running away, I always showed up.”
Gámez Martínez mentioned federal brokers put an ankle monitor on him and his spouse, and they have been informed they’ll solely journey as much as 75 miles from his house.
The father of three mentioned seeing his eldest son Antonio taken away in chains to a special detention facility was painful. “It’s a horrible thing, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, it was horrible,” he mentioned.
“My children are good people. They’ve always dedicated themselves to school,” Gámez Martínez added.
Olivares informed the AP Antonio was released after attorneys filed a parole request with ICE, which ICE granted, so they didn’t want to hunt a decide’s order.
At a information convention Monday, Castro argued the household’s remedy underlies the cruelty, irony and hypocrisy of the Trump administration’s mass deportation coverage.”
The younger musicians be a part of a rising listing of youngsters and teenagers swept up within the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, together with 5-year-old Liam Ramos, whose picture gripped hearts all over the world when he was detained in Minneapolis carrying a bunny hat and despatched to the Dilley facility. He was later released.
The Dilley facility is retrofitted for households, with school rooms and academic supplies, based on DHS.
But immigration advocates and attorneys have in latest months mentioned there are harmful conditions at the facility, together with kids getting sick and being denied sufficient medical care and correct meals.
“ICE does not separate families. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates,” the assertion mentioned. “In strict accordance with ICE policy, adult males without children are NOT housed at the Dilley facility for the safety of the children inside the facility.”
“The law requires illegal aliens who show up at a port of entry without valid entry to be detained while all their claims are heard … Unlike the previous administration, the Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law,” the DHS assertion mentioned.
Castro mentioned he met with two of the brothers and their parents throughout a deliberate go to to the Dilley facility Monday.
“Donald Trump said he was going after criminals. He said he was going after people who are dangerous to Americans. Well, how is it that these two young men were good enough to perform at the United States Capitol at the invitation of their congresswoman?” Castro mentioned in a video posted over the weekend, decrying the household’s detention.
“They were safe enough to tour the White House, and yet the Trump administration has them sitting in a prison in Dilley, Texas.”
De La Cruz, who congratulated the brothers’ highschool mariachi group in June, mentioned she requested a go to to the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville earlier than the eldest brother’s launch.
“I am troubled by the news surrounding the Gámez-Cuéllar family. As I have consistently said, enforcement resources should be focused on individuals with criminal records — a secure border and commonsense policies must go hand-in-hand,” De La Cruz mentioned in an announcement on Facebook.
Protesters gathered outdoors the El Valle facility Monday to demand the brothers’ launch.