Two teen mariachi musicians and their family members have been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in the wake of massive backlash over their detention, Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) announced Monday.
Antonio and Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar are members of Mariachi Oro, an award-winning high school mariachi group from McAllen, Texas, that previously performed on Capitol Hill and visited the White House. The two brothers were detained on February 25 along with their parents, Luis Antonio Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar, as well as their younger brother Joshua.
In a statement about their detention, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the family had entered the U.S. illegally and was released into the country by the Biden administration.
Martínez told The New York Times that the family filed an asylum claim in the U.S. after fleeing violence in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, where he was previously kidnapped by members of a cartel. He said that the family had attended all required court dates and check-ins with immigration authorities. According to Martínez, they were notified about an ICE check-in in February and were subsequently detained at that meeting.
