SAN ANTONIO – Two Alamo Heights children and their stepmother, who were detained in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Dilley, are on their way home following a federal judge’s order.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) shared a photo on Facebook that shows the family, which includes Maria Betania Uzcategui-Castillo, of Venezuela, and her stepchildren, Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr., 11, and Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador, 8, in the back seat of a vehicle with smiles and tears.
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U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia of the Western District Court of Texas ordered the family’s release from the South Texas Family Residential Center on Wednesday.
The facility is located around 75 miles southwest of San Antonio.
In a separate Facebook post on Wednesday, Castro announced that the Uzcategui-Labrador family will be released from the facility, “where they were locked away after being targeted at a school bus stop in San Antonio.”
The Uzcategui-Labrador family was detained by ICE on April 27, the same day as their stepmother’s birthday, immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said during a news conference earlier this month. The children are Alamo Heights Independent School District students who attend Cambridge Elementary.
Goldfinch said Maria and the children’s father, Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Sr., both have valid legal status, Goldfinch said. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously said the family is in the United States without permanent legal status.
They have lived in San Antonio since 2021.
ICE must report back to the judge no later than noon on Friday to confirm the family has been released, court documents show.
KSAT has reached out to ICE for comment. This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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