SAN ANTONIO – U.S. lawmakers held a press conference on Tuesday to discuss desires of releasing nearly 400 people inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center and shutting down the South Texas facility.
One family inside the facility lives in San Antonio: Maria Betania Uzcategui-Castillo, of Venezuela, and her stepchildren, Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr., 11, and Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador, 8.
The Uzcategui-Labrador children attended Cambridge Elementary, located within the Alamo Heights Independent School District, before they were detained by ICE on April 27, the same day as their stepmother’s birthday.
Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch described the morning the Uzcategui-Labrador family was detained.
“The family decided to walk to the bus stop together because it was Maria’s birthday and they wanted to spend a little extra time together that morning,” Goldfinch said.
The children’s father, Victor Uzcateui-Labrador Sr., joined them on the walk, Goldfinch said, but suddenly felt into his pockets and noticed his keys were missing.
Goldfinch said Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Sr. ran back inside the residence to find them but instead focused his attention to the window and watched his family become surrounded by ICE agents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the family is in the United States without permanent legal status. They have lived in San Antonio since 2021.
Maria and Victor Sr. both have valid legal status, Goldfinch said on Tuesday.
>> Alamo Heights community reacts after ICE detains mother, 2 children
Before ICE detained his family, Victor Sr. was given a choice by ICE agents to decide his family’s fate, Goldfinch said.
“ICE agents had Maria call Victor (Sr.) through the window and had her tell him, ‘Come outside or we are separating your son from the family,’” Goldfinch said.
Goldfinch said Victor Sr. decided to stay inside because he “knew this was an empty threat.”
Victor Sr. continues to reside in San Antonio because of his decision, but in return has carried depression watching his family be taken away, according to Goldfinch.
Members of Congress, including Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), called for the release of nearly 100 children (396 total people) inside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.
He visited the facility and spent about 20 minutes with the Uzcategui-Labrador family. Castro said the children are distraught.
“The kids were sobbing most of the time we were with them,” Castro said. “The young girl talked about how much she missed her father.”
Castro said support from the Alamo Heights community has been heard by the Uzcategui-Labrador family. He said the children miss their teachers and classmates at Cambridge.
“We’ll do anything to get them out,” Castro said.
The congressman has filed a federal petition to release the family.
This isn’t the first time Democratic members of the House have worked together to release people from the ICE facility in Dilley.
Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and a family of five from McAllen are examples of former detainees shortly released after Castro’s call for action.
The San Antonio representative has made frequent visits over the last six months and previously said “conditions are worsening” inside the Dilley facility.
He said the immigration center still underperforms catering for detainees’ living quality since his last visit in April.
“When we look back on this area in American history we will look back with shame,” Castro said. “We will look back with incredible shame of the human rights abuses, most particularly against children, that were committed at places like Dilley.”
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