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, have been released, according to anX postfrom US Rep. Joaquin Castro, who met two of the brothers during their trip to Capitol Hill last year.
Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar, 14, and Joshua Gámez-Cuéllar, 12, had been held with their parents at the South Texas Family Residential Center, afacility in Dilley.
Their brother, Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, was also released after being held at a separate facility in Raymondville, Texas. He appeared at a news conference Monday with US Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican, outside the facility.
"The Gámez-Cuéllar family has been released," Castro said in the post alongside photos of the family. "We are taking them now to reunite with their son Antonio," Castro said in the post.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed the family's release in a statement to CNN on Monday night, adding, "They will have mandatory check-ins with ICE law enforcement."
On Monday night, the family spoke to the media about their experience in detention, with Luis Antonio Gámez Martínez, the brothers' father, calling the Dilley facility a "horrible place" and thanking everyone who supported them.
Less than a year ago, Antonio and Caleb were recognized on Capitol Hill for their award-winning performances in a premier high school mariachi group. Word of the talented musicians' detention spread through their hometown of McAllen, and the mariachi musicians' community in the area and around the nation, as some state leaders decry DHS tactics that again landed children in federal custody.
Their parents, Gámez Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar López, were arrested by ICE on February 25, according to DHS. The agency said the family had been living in the US after entering illegally in 2023 near Brownsville, Texas.
"They chose to bring their adult son and two children with them," a DHS spokesperson said in an earlier statement about the family's detention.
Castro and other lawmakers say the family followed all of the rules needed to enter the US by claiming asylum.
Efrén C. Olivares, an attorney with the National Immigration Law Center representing Antonio, told theAssociated Pressthe family entered the US lawfully in 2023 through the CBP One app, a legal pathway.
The family's case is still pending, Castro said. CNN has reached out to the family's attorneys for further information.
Gámez Martínez insisted he and his wife always attended their required court appointments, tellingCNN affiliate KRGV, "I was never running away, I always showed up."
Gámez Martínez said federal agents put an ankle monitor on him and his wife, and they were told they can only travel up to 75 miles from his home.
The father of three said seeing his eldest son Antonio taken away in chains to a different detention facility was painful. "It's a horrible thing, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, it was horrible," he said.
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"My children are good people. They've always dedicated themselves to school," Gámez Martínez added.
Olivares told the AP Antonio was released after attorneys filed a parole request with ICE, which ICE granted, so they did not need to seek a judge's order.
At a news conference Monday, Castro argued the family's treatment underlies the cruelty, irony and hypocrisy of the Trump administration's mass deportation policy."
The young musicians join a growing list of children and teens swept up in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, including 5-year-oldLiam Ramos, whose image gripped hearts around the world when he was detained in Minneapolis wearing a bunny hat and sent to the Dilley facility. He was later released.
The Dilley facility is retrofitted for families, with classrooms and educational materials, according to DHS.
But immigration advocates and attorneys have in recent months said there areharmful conditions at the facility, including children getting sick and being denied adequate medical care and proper food.
"ICE does not separate families. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates," the statement said. "In strict accordance with ICE policy, adult males without children are NOT housed at the Dilley facility for the safety of the children inside the facility."
"The law requires illegal aliens who show up at a port of entry without valid entry to be detained while all their claims are heard … Unlike the previous administration, the Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law," the DHS statement said.
Castro said he met with two of the brothers and their parents during a planned visit to the Dilley facility Monday.
"Donald Trump said he was going after criminals. He said he was going after people who are dangerous to Americans. Well, how is it that these two young men were good enough to perform at the United States Capitol at the invitation of their congresswoman?" Castro said in a video posted over the weekend, decrying the family's detention.
"They were safe enough to tour the White House, and yet the Trump administration has them sitting in a prison in Dilley, Texas."
De La Cruz, who congratulated the brothers' high school mariachi group inJune, said she requested a visit to the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville before the eldest brother's release.
"I am troubled by the news surrounding the Gámez-Cuéllar family. As I have consistently said, enforcement resources should be focused on individuals with criminal records — a secure border and commonsense policies must go hand-in-hand," De La Cruz said in a statement on Facebook.
Protesters gathered outside the El Valle facility Monday to demand the brothers' release.
CNN's Amanda Musa, Priscilla Alvarez and Michael Williams contributed to this report.
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Two promising young mariachi musicians and their parents, who were being held in ICE detention for nearly two weeks after...
