The man who sang the national anthem on July 4 at a South Texas immigrant detention facility has been released, according to U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio.
Hebert Kaleth Ibarra Castro, 20, was reunited with his wife, Marisol Pantoj, after being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 25 while driving in China Grove.
An ICE spokesperson told KSAT that Ibarra Castro “entered the United States illegally,” but Pantoj said he entered the U.S. legally on a B-2 visa.
“He came with a B-2 visa when he was 4 years old,” Pantoj said. “He was fleeing violence from (Monterrey) Mexico.”
Pantoj said that the visa expired in 2020, and they have been working on obtaining his green card, but it has taken a long time, calling the process “very overwhelming.”
“The packet itself was 178 pages,” Pantoj said. ”Sponsorship, birth certificates, IDs, passports, pay stubs, we had to develop a marriage evidence folder.”
While being held in the South Texas detention facility, Pantoj said Ibarra Castro was asked to sing the national anthem.
“He had said, ‘I don’t understand why they asked me to sing a song of the land of the free when they chained me up like an animal,’” Pantoj said.
ICE said Ibarra Castro “volunteered to perform the national anthem for other detainees and contract staff at the detention center during a Fourth of July talent contest.”
“The performance was part of broader efforts to promote positive engagement through voluntary activities,” ICE said. “Castro received no compensation and participated simply because he enjoys singing.”
Rep. Castro announced Ibarra Castro’s release Saturday in a Facebook post.
“In a country that stands for freedom and opportunity,” Rep. Castro said, “he deserves a fair chance at the American Dream.”
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