Rep. Joaquin Castro Led a Democratic Delegation Pushing for the Release of Detained Mariachi Brothers and Their Family
Two teenage brothers who gained national recognition as members of a celebrated South Texas mariachi band were released Monday from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities after Democratic lawmakers intervened and pressed federal officials to free the family.
The teens and their relatives walked out of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center roughly 70 miles south of San Antonio after more than a week in custody, following a visit by a congressional delegation led by Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro.
Castro said he contacted an ICE official from the San Antonio field office while driving to the facility, warning that the case was drawing national attention and public outrage.
“The mom is very heartbroken and upset, and she feels like her sons were used,” Castro said after meeting with the family inside the detention center. “She’s saying, ‘We followed all the rules; we went to our appointments; we haven’t done anything wrong.’ They’re very nervous. It’s so uncertain for them.”
Brothers Recognized Nationally for Mariachi Performances
The two brothers, members of a championship winning mariachi group from McAllen, had traveled to Washington last summer where they performed and visited the White House.
Their detention quickly became a flashpoint in the national immigration debate, with critics questioning why teenagers with no criminal history who had participated in high profile cultural events were being held as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown.
One of the brothers was held at the Dilley family detention facility while the older brother, 18 year old Antonio Gámez Cuéllar, was detained separately at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas before being released.
After being freed Monday, the family briefly boarded a bus with lawmakers who had waited outside the facility for hours as the release was processed. The lawmakers provided the family with food before arranging transportation back to Alice, Texas.
“You literally saved this family,” the boys’ father, Luis Antonio Gámez, told Castro in Spanish.
Family Says They Followed Asylum Process
Luis Antonio Gámez said the family entered the United States legally through the Brownsville border crossing in 2023 and sought asylum after fleeing violence in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
According to Gámez, cartel members had kidnapped him before the family fled the country.
While detained near the border, he said authorities offered the family money if they agreed to voluntarily return to Mexico.
“We don’t want to take that dirty money,” Gámez recalled telling them.
Political Tensions Surround the Case
The case also sparked political tensions among members of Congress.
Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz, whose district includes the area where the family had settled and who had previously invited the mariachi group to Capitol Hill, said Monday she was working to “explore every legal option available” to help the family.
She later claimed credit for securing the release of the older brother following what she described as direct advocacy with the White House and homeland security officials.
Democratic lawmakers disputed that characterization, saying family members told them De La Cruz had not previously intervened.
“They said to me, ‘No, she hasn’t done anything, she isn’t helping us,’” said Representative Nanette Barragán of California.
A person close to the family also alleged that the older brother’s release was delayed until De La Cruz could arrive at the detention facility for a photo opportunity. A spokesperson for the congresswoman denied that claim.
Conditions Inside the Detention Facility Raise Concerns
During the visit, lawmakers also met with hundreds of other detainees at the sprawling Dilley facility, a complex of trailers originally built in 2014 to house migrant families.
Former President Joe Biden shut the facility down in 2024, but it was reopened last year.
Several lawmakers described troubling conditions inside.
“The people there were so desperate,” said Representative Sara Jacobs of California. “I don’t care what their parents did. No kid should be living in that condition. The kids seemed really anxious and depressed.”
Detainees told lawmakers they had missed breakfast because staff failed to notify them about the daylight saving time change. Others described serious medical issues and poor living conditions, including reports of spoiled food, freezing temperatures and lights left on all night.
In one case, a mother told lawmakers her child had been unable to use the bathroom for days.
“Every parent is the same,” said Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts. “If your kid doesn’t feel well, you’re out of your mind.”
After meeting the mariachi brothers and their family, McGovern said he struggled to understand why they had been detained at all.
“I don’t even understand why they’re being detained,” he said. “This kid performed at the White House, and here he is with his family detained at this facility. This is like being in jail.”
He added, “I’m so sad this is happening in this country.”
