A South Texas family that includes two teenage mariachi musicians part of an award-winning band was reunited on Monday, March 9, after their case drew widespread criticism from members of Congress and civil rights advocates, officials said.
Antonio Yesayahu Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, and his brother Caleb, 14, along with their 12-year-old brother and parents, were detained on Feb. 25 after they appeared for a scheduled check-in with federal immigration authorities, according to the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. Gámez-Cuéllar was separated from his family, who were detained in a detention center for families in Dilley, while he was held at a Raymondville, Texas, facility about 230 miles away.
The family entered the United States in 2023 through the Biden-eraCBP One appand were awaiting their final asylum hearing that was scheduled for later this year, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus said in anews release. The family had been attending immigration hearings and checking in with immigration authorities, as required, when they were detained.
Study:Deportations from ICE street arrests jump, here's why.
The three brothers were described as "dedicated student mariachi musicians," according to aGoFundMe pagefor the family. Both Gámez-Cuéllar and his brother Caleb are members of the McAllen High SchoolMariachi Oroband, which was invited to Washington, DC, last summer and has won eight state championships.
On March 9, Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat,confirmedthat Gámez-Cuéllar's parents and two brothers were released from the Dilley facility. Gámez-Cuéllar was also released from the detention center in Raymondville, according to U.S. Rep. Monica de la Cruz, a Texas Republican.
"Antonio is going home," De la Cruz said in astatement. "The Gámez-Cuéllar family are valued members of our community. I was honored to stand with Antonio and his fellow mariachis when they visited my office last year, and I am honored to stand with him again."
Trump's second term saw aggressive immigration and trade moves, federal downsizing, and assertive foreign interventions in Venezuela and Iran. President Donald Trump has doubled down on an aggressive immigration agenda, emphasizing record-low levels of illegal border crossings and a sweeping expansion of enforcement. In his February 2026 State of the Union address, Trump highlighted a nine‑month period in which, he claimed, "zero illegal aliens" were admitted into the U.S.—a statement that fact-checkers noted conflated admission with release on parole, though data does show no parole releases during that period." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The administration has also promoted major enforcement gains: significant declines in illegal crossings, a dramatic reduction in interior releases, expanded deportation operations, and tightened border controls, according to a February 2026 White House summary of its immigration actions. More broadly, the administration continues implementing executive actions that restrict entry at the southern border and increase immigration enforcement nationwide, including policies tied to TrumpÕs 2025 proclamation invoking federal authority to suspend certain entries. [whitehouse.gov]" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
President Donald Trump has intensified his tariff‑driven economic strategy in his second term, expanding duties across global partners while positioning tariffs as a central tool to bolster U.S. industry. Despite broad tariff hikes, the U.S. trade deficit surged in late 2025, reaching a record goods shortfall even as the administration sought to curb imports and revive domestic manufacturing—a goal undercut by a decline in factory employment during the same period." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
President Donald Trump has undertaken an unprecedented downsizing and restructuring of the federal government during his second term, marked by aggressive workforce reductions, major agency overhauls, and expanded executive authority over civil service rules." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Federal workforce cuts accelerated sharply in 2025, with estimates showing reductions ranging from 220,000 to more than 300,000 employees through voluntary departure incentives, pressure campaigns, buyouts, and targeted firingsÑresulting in the smallest federal workforce share recorded since the 1930s." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created at the start of President Trump's second term to drive sweeping federal workforce reductions. DOGE spearheaded mass buyouts, layoffs, and restructuring across agencies, including the rollout of the Deferred Resignation Program and guidance encouraging the firing of probationary employees. Its initiatives contributed to a net loss of more than 150,000 federal workers early in Trump's second term, with broader governmentwide workforce reductions continuing into 2026." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Elon Musk was appointed to lead DOGE and initially served as the public face of Trump's government‑shrinkage agenda. However, his influence declined significantly after he stepped away from the department and entered a public feud with President Trump. Many DOGE staffers left government during this period, and DOGE became associated with controversial actions including the dismantling of USAID and alleged improper access to agency data. Musk originally claimed DOGE would identify $2 trillion in government savings, but the department's website later estimated only $215 billion, a figure analysts say was overstated." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill", signed July 4, 2025, reshaped federal tax law by extending lower individual tax rates from the 2017 TCJA, increasing standard deductions, and adding new temporary deductions for tips and overtime." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The law also phases out clean‑energy incentives and cuts programs like Medicaid and SNAP, with the Congressional Budget Office projecting a $4.1 trillion increase in deficits over 10 years due to the package." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
President Trump has aligned many social policies with the goals of Project 2025, targeting reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections, DEI programs, and gender‑affirming care. His administration has signed executive orders eliminating transgender protections, removing DEI offices across federal agencies, and directing schools to deny funding if they allow transgender girls to compete in girls' sports. He has also pursued efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and restrict reproductive‑health access—though not all proposed measures have succeeded." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Trump has moved aggressively to remake federal cultural institutions, ordering the removal of what he calls "anti‑American ideology" from museums, national parks, and research centers. Actions include restoring Confederate statues, removing slavery‑related exhibits and Native‑American history signage from national parks, and pressuring institutions like the Smithsonian and Kennedy Center while installing political allies onto boards. Civil‑rights groups warn these moves risk erasing critical historical truths and reversing decades of social progress" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
During his second term, President Donald Trump has systematically dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. Executive orders have eliminated DEI offices and policies, with agencies placing all DEI‑related staff on administrative leave and shutting down DEI programs entirely. His administration also removed DEI departments at major cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art in early 2025. Trump has framed DEI initiatives as "anti‑American ideology," directing agencies and cultural institutions to strip references to DEI, sexual orientation and gender identity from rules, grants, and regulations. These moves reflect a broader cultural agenda aimed at reversing equity‑focused policies across education, federal agencies, and the arts sector." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
On January 3, 2026, President Donald Trump ordered a large‑scale U.S. military operation in Venezuela—Operation Absolute Resolve—resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. U.S. forces conducted coordinated strikes across northern Venezuela to suppress air defenses before extracting the pair, who were flown to New York to face narco‑terrorism–related charges. The Trump administration framed the action as a law‑enforcement mission with military support, asserting inherent presidential authority, while Venezuela and several regional governments condemned it as a violation of sovereignty." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
In late February and early March 2026, President Donald Trump announced that the United States had begun "major combat operations in Iran," launching strikes alongside Israel targeting Iranian leadership, military infrastructure, and missile capabilities. The joint assault targeted high‑level officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, and was framed by Trump as necessary to eliminate "imminent threats" and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Trump second term marked by turbulent moves. See photos
Trump's second term saw aggressive immigration and trade moves, federal downsizing, and assertive foreign interventions in Venezuelaand Iran. President Donald Trump has doubled down on an aggressiveimmigrationagenda, emphasizing record-low levels of illegal border crossings and a sweeping expansion of enforcement. In his February 2026 State of the Union address, Trump highlighted a nine‑month period in which, he claimed, "zero illegal aliens" were admitted into the U.S.—a statement that fact-checkers noted conflated admission with release on parole, though data does show no parole releases during that period.
Lawmakers react to release: 'We are grateful'
The family's detainment sparked bipartisan outrage as lawmakers raised concerns over the Trump administration'scontentious immigration enforcement and its tactics.
The teen musicians are part of a growing number of children who have been impacted by immigration enforcement, including 5-year-oldLiam Conejo Ramosand ayoung, deaf childwho was deported without his hearing aids.
Advertisement
Castro announced the release after he visited the Dilley facility, which has been underincreased scrutiny for holding immigrant families with childrenand has faced numerous allegations of inadequate conditions.
"When I returned to the Dilley trailer prison today, I brought my colleagues in Congress to meet with the children and families and to bear witness to their stories," Castro said in apost on X. "We are grateful for the release of the Gámez-Cuéllar family and we will not stop until we #FreeOurChildren. All of them."
Following the release of Gámez-Cuéllar's family, Efrén 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 astatement. "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 Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said the organization was "relieved that the Gámez-Cuéllar family is returning home."
'Fear of coming to school':Is Trump's immigration crackdown worsening school absenteeism?
"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.
Other lawmakers of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, composed of members of the Texas House of Representatives, shared similar sentiments. The organization's vice-chair, state Rep. Erin Gámez, said she was praying for the "entire Gámez-Cuéllar family as they endure the pain of unjust separation and detention."
"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," Gámez said in a statement. "The targeting and detention of legally present individuals and families is inhumane and deeply troubling. Policies that tear families apart rather than support those striving to contribute to our communities must come to an end."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Teenager mariachi brothers, family released from ICE custody in Texas