SAN ANTONIO – A Venezuelan mother and her two stepchildren reunited with family and friends on Thursday in San Antonio after they were released from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Dilley following a federal judge’s order.
Maria Uzcategui-Castillo and her stepchildren — 11-year-old Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr. and 8-year-old Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador — were detained by ICE agents on April 27 while walking to a school bus stop in Alamo Heights, according to their attorney.
Their release came after weeks of advocacy from lawmakers, attorneys and community members calling for the family to be freed from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.
Hugs, tears and food awaited Maria and the children outside the family’s home.
“Muy alegre ellos están de nuevo conmigo,” Victor Labrador Sr. said, explaining he was overjoyed to have his family back with him.
Labrador said the family had been heading to a bus stop on the morning they were detained. He said he forgot something and briefly returned to their apartment.
Labrador then looked out a window and saw ICE agents surrounding his wife and children before they took them into custody.
The family’s attorney previously told KSAT that both Maria and Victor Sr. have valid legal status after arriving from Venezuela in 2021 and applying for asylum.
The children described their time inside the Dilley facility as traumatic.
“I don’t like the experience in Dilley,” Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador told KSAT. “It’s so bad, and I like more my school and my family.”
Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr. said many of the families detained there appeared to be innocent people simply trying to work and care for their families.
Uzcategui-Castillo said educational resources for children inside the facility were limited and claimed some families had remained detained longer than the 20-day limit typically applied to family detention cases.
Despite describing the days in detention as long and difficult, Uzcategui-Castillo said she is grateful for the support the family received from everyone who fought for their release.
The children are expected to return to Cambridge Elementary School and reunite with classmates and teachers in the coming days.
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