Brother in mariachi band released from ICE custody
By: Thao Nguyen
USA Today
..... Two teenage mariachi musicians in an award-winning band were reunited with their family in south Texas on March 9 [2026] after their case drew widespread criticism form members of Congress and civil rights advocates, officials said.
.....
Antonio Yesayahu Gamez-Cuellar, 18, and his brother Caleb, 14, along with their 12-year-old brother and parents, were detained February 25 [2026] after they appeared for a scheduled check-in with federal immigration authorities, according to the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
..... Antonio Gamez-Cuellar was held at a Raymondville, Texas, detention center wild his family was detained at a facility for families in Dilley, about 230 miles away.
..... The family entered the United States in 2023 through the President Joe Biden-era One-app and were awaiting a final asylum hearing that was scheduled for later this year, [2026] the Mexican American Legislative caucus said in a news release.
..... They had been attending immigration hearings and checking in with immigration authorities as required when they were detained.
..... The three brothers were described as "dedicated student mariachi musicians," according to a GoFundMe page for the family. Both Gamez-Cuellar and his brother Caleb are members of the McAllen High School Mariachi Oro band, which has own eight state championships and was invited to Washington, DC, last summer. [2025]
..... On March 9, [2026] Representative Joaquin Castro, D- Texas, confirmed that Gamez-Cuellar's parents and two brothers were released from the Dilley facility. Gamez-Cuellar was also released from the detention center in Raymondville, according to Representative Monica de la Cruz, R-Texas.
..... The family's detainment sparked bipartisan outrage as lawmakers raised concerns over the Trump administration's contentious immigration enforcement and its tactics.
.....
Following the release of Gamez-Cuellar's family, Efren Olivares, vice president of litigation and legal strategy at the National Immigration Law Center, called the 18-year-old;s detention a "cruel and calculated attack against him and his family."
..... "We are glad that Antonio and his family are reunited, thanks to the courageous activism of their friends and community. Antonio's case shows us the power we have when we come together to fight injustice," Olivares said in a statement. "As we celebrate Antonio's release and look forward to his high school graduation, let's use this energy to fight for the release of other immigrant families held in ICE detention across the country."
..... Texas Representative Ramon Romero Jr., chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said the organization was "relieved that the Gamez-Cuellar family is returning home."
.....
"Families who follow the rules and show up to their ICE appointments in good faith should not be punished for doing exactly what the system asks of them," Romero said in a statement.
..... "This family did it the right way entering the country through the proper legal channels and working hard to build a life in pursuit of the American Dream," the organization's vice-chair, state Representative Erin Gamez, a Republican, said in a statement.