Venezuelan mother and two children detained at bus stop, freed after 17 days by judge's order
May 14, 2026·Location: Alamo Heights, TX
Country of origin: Venezuela

Maria Betania Uzcategui Castillo, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker with valid work authorization through 2030, and her two children, 11-year-old Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr. and 8-year-old Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador, were detained by ICE agents at a school bus stop in Alamo Heights, Texas. The family had arrived at the U.S. border in 2021 seeking asylum, complied with prior immigration requirements, and had a court date scheduled for 2027. Both children attended Cambridge Elementary in the Alamo Heights Independent School District and were reported as deeply traumatized by the detention. The family spent 17 days at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, the country's largest family detention facility, while community members organized a rally and a fundraising campaign that raised more than $28,000 for legal fees. Her husband, Victor, and the family's attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, worked to secure their release. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered the family released, and they were freed pending future immigration hearings.
Timeline
Sources
- WFAA
- kens5.com
- San Antonio students detained by ICE while waiting for school bus
San Antonio Express-News·May 1, 2026·archived copy
Houston Chronicle·May 1, 2026·archived copy
- Federal judge orders ICE to release Alamo Heights kids, stepmom
San Antonio Express-News·May 13, 2026·archived copy
- Alamo Heights children, stepmother released from ICE detention facility in Dilley
KSAT·May 14, 2026·archived copy
- ‘They’re back with me’: Father reunites with family after detention at ICE facility in Dilley
KSAT·May 14, 2026·archived copy
- Rep. Castro says detained S.A. students ‘deeply traumatized’ after ICE arrest
San Antonio Express-News·May 6, 2026·archived copy
- Alamo Heights family released from ICE detention facility in Dilley
KSAT·May 14, 2026·archived copy
- CourtListener
- Castillo Garcia v. Olson, 1:26-cv-03155
- Reporters - Fear and broken families: Inside a Texas ICE detention centre
france24.com·Sep 18, 2026
More incidents in Texas
- Texas pastor deported to Ghana, a country he has never visitedOct 6, 2026 · Mesquite, TX
- ICE arrests in Austin area surge over 300% since start of Trump's second termOct 6, 2026 · Austin, TX
- ICE agent shoots Venezuelan DoorDash driver in back, leaves him partially paralyzedOct 4, 2026 · Austin, TX
- Bodycam footage contradicts ICE account of US citizen's fatal shooting in TexasOct 4, 2026 · South Padre Island, TX
- Hundreds march in San Antonio as officials weigh lawsuit against ICE detention facilityOct 3, 2026 · San Antonio, TX
- Judge expands border wall halt across Big Bend region of TexasOct 2, 2026 · El Paso, TX