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ICE Releases Texas Mariachi Family After Nearly Two Weeks in Custody

The family remains under supervision as their asylum case proceeds, with the eldest son freed on ICE parole.

Overview

  • The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the Gámez-Cuéllar family’s release and said they must report for mandatory ICE check-ins while their case continues.
  • Parents Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar López and Luis Antonio Gámez Martínez reported being fitted with electronic monitors and told they are limited to travel within roughly 120 kilometers of their home.
  • Detained on February 25 during a routine ICE check-in, the parents and two younger sons were held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, while 18-year-old Antonio was sent to a separate facility in Raymondville.
  • Antonio’s release came after his attorneys secured ICE parole rather than a court order, according to his lawyer.
  • The family entered the U.S. in 2023 using the CBP One system and, per Rep. Joaquín Castro, had passed credible-fear interviews and complied with hearings, as lawmakers and community advocates pressed for their release and raised concerns about conditions at the Dilley facility.