US EditionTwo teen brothers in Texas mariachi band are released from ICE custody amid bipartisan criticism
The family, including two teenage mariachi musicians, was released after bipartisan congressional pressure highlighted concerns over detention conditions and immigration enforcement policies.
- On Monday, Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar and his brother Caleb were released from ICE custody and reunited with their parents at a Whataburger in Alice, Texas.
- During a Feb. 25 check-in, ICE arrested the parents; DHS said the G�mez-Cu�llar family entered in 2023 and must be detained while asylum claims proceed.
- Members of Mariachi Oro have national accolades and appearances, including eight state championships and performances at the U.S. Capitol, White House, and Carnegie Hall, with Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar recently first chair trumpet and the group featured in a Netflix documentary.
- U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Monica De La Cruz applied bipartisan pressure; Castro said, 'These were upstanding folks who were following the law,' and De La Cruz emphasized, 'This day should not be about politics. What this day is about is about commonsense enforcement policies.'
- Advocates and parents have raised alarms about conditions at Dilley, citing children falling sick and inadequate care, while medical organizations warn detention risks lasting harm and protesters gathered outside El Valle.
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USA TodayTexas teen mariachi brothers, family released from ICE custody
High school mariachi musicians released from ICE detention
Two high school mariachi musicians were released Monday with their family from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Texas after pressure from a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Officials released Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, who was detained and held at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas. His brother and fellow mariachi player,…
McAllen family reunites after being detained by ICE
A McAllen family, including award-winning Mariachi Oro students, has been released from ICE custody following a high-profile bipartisan push. Join the community for a welcome rally and press conference at McAllen High School as they reunite after nearly two weeks in detention.
Detained Family With Award-Winning Mariachi Ties Released
Throughout Texas and the country, the plight of the Gámez-Cuéllar family spread rapidly through headlines and social media. The family, which includes award-winning high-school mariachi players, had been detained at two separate facilities in Texas, after a routine immigration check-in last month. On Monday, March 9, all five members of the family were released from detention facilities in Texas. Four members of the family were at Dilley Detenti…
The Gámez-Cuéllar mariachi family: the case that made Republicans raise their voices against Trump’s immigration policy
The detention and subsequent release of three brothers — all promising mariachi musicians — and their parents by ICE in Texas has newly exposed the cracks in Trump’s immigration policy. After becoming a national topic of conversation over the weekend, the case of the Gámez-Cuéllar family, originally from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has shown that Latino voices within the Republican Party are now willing to more openly question the federal governmen…
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