US EditionReport: Mariachi Ensemble Students Detained by ICE
The Gámez-Cuéllar family, including three mariachi brothers honored nationally, were detained by ICE despite passing credible fear screenings and ongoing asylum proceedings.
- On Feb. 25, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained the Gámez-Cuéllar family after a routine appointment in Edinburg, Texas.
- The family entered the U.S. via the CBP One app in May 2023 and passed a credible-fear screening to begin asylum proceedings, attending regular ICE check-ins with a final hearing scheduled for September.
- Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, alongside his younger brothers Caleb, 14, and Joshua, 12, are McAllen mariachi students; Caleb, Joshua, and their parents are held in South Texas Family Residential Center , while Antonio is in El Valle .
- Elected officials, local musicians and protesters condemned the detentions as Bobby Pulido amplified the story nationally.
- The upcoming March 16 hearing positions the case amid national attention, with the family hoping to secure release on habeas corpus, as Bobby Pulido and the Netflix documentary 'Going Varsity In Mariachi' amplify scrutiny.
70 Articles
70 Articles
The arrest and subsequent release of three brothers, all promising mariachis, and their parents, at the hands of the ICE in Texas, has exposed the cracks generated by Trump’s immigration policy. After jumping into the national conversation over the weekend, the case of the Gámez-Cuellar family, originally from San Luis Potosí in Mexico, has shown that Latin voices within the Republican Party are now willing to question more openly the persecutio…
Caleb and Antonio Gámez-Cuellar were invited to perform in the American Capitol in Washington, D.C., in June 2025. Nine months later, they were arrested with their families and deported by the immigration police to Texas detention centres.
Mariachi-playing brothers and their parents are being released from ICE custody, lawmakers say
By Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN (CNN) — Two promising young mariachi musicians and their parents, who were being held in ICE detention for nearly two weeks after they were detained by the Department of Homeland Security in Texas, are being processed for release, according to an X post from US Rep. Joaquin Castro, who met two of the brothers during their trip to Capitol Hill last year. A third brother held at a separate facility has also been released…
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