Overview
- The mother and two children, ordered freed Wednesday by a federal judge, left ICE custody Thursday morning and later reunited with family in San Antonio, Rep. Joaquin Castro and local outlets said.
- Judge Orlando Garcia required release by 9:30 a.m., set conditions no stricter than before detention, and directed a Friday status report confirming freedom, and government lawyers said they may appeal.
- ICE agents detained Maria Betania Uzcategui Castillo and her 11- and 8-year-old stepchildren on April 27 while they walked to a Cambridge Elementary bus stop in Alamo Heights, then held them at the Dilley family facility about 70 to 75 miles away.
- Family attorneys said the trio entered in 2021, applied for asylum, received parole and work permits, and have no criminal record, while government lawyers argued they are unlawfully present and subject to detention under current law.
- The case highlights concerns about Dilley’s conditions and fits a national rise in 2026 habeas petitions that challenge detention practices as immigration arrests and removals accelerate.