Roberto López Falcón, a Cuban-born fifth-grade ESL teacher at Hart Elementary School in Austin, was detained by ICE on September 3, 2025, during a routine immigration check-in in San Antonio. He had entered the U.S. in March 2022 seeking asylum after clashing with Cuban officials over his refusal to promote Communist Party ideology while teaching civics. Recognized as a Campus Teacher of Promise, his sudden detention upset his students and their families, with at least one student diagnosed with depression. His asylum claim was denied in October 2025, and he remained at the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center for 297 days despite appealing, during which he read 37 books and worked in the detention center library. A federal judge ruled his detention illegal and ordered his release in late June 2026, after which he sought to return to the classroom. At least five Austin ISD employees have been detained amid broader immigration enforcement actions, according to the local teachers' union.