U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro is demanding federal immigration authorities release a man and his 9-year-old daughter after the two were detained in a traffic stop.
In a post on X, Castro said Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers pulled over Jesús Bracho as he was arriving to work.
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When troopers stopped him, Castro said Bracho told his daughter, Katherine, to go inside his employer’s home.
“DPS called ICE and took Jesús,” Castro wrote. “ICE agents came back and then forced him to lure his daughter out so they could take her too.”
A spokesperson for Castro’s office said the family members were detained on July 1, 2026, on the far West Side near Loop 410 and U.S. Highway 90.
According to Castro, Katherine was a student at Bonnie Ellison Elementary School — which is in San Antonio’s Northside Independent School District.
The congressman said Katherine was frightened in the encounter and Bracho is a mechanic with no criminal record.
“She was scared and didn’t know where she was going,” Castro said.
The father and daughter have been held at the Dilley detention facility in South Texas for more than a month, Castro stated.
The Trump administration has been clear that border security is a priority. Gov. Greg Abbott previously said DPS troopers and special agents will assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in “targeting and removing illegal immigrants.”
Castro blamed Abbott’s recent initiative directing DPS troopers to assist ICE.
“Governor Abbott has ordered DPS troopers to help ICE arrest hardworking folks and children in our community,” Castro wrote.
Castro called on ICE to immediately release Bracho and Katherine, adding that he wants authorities to “stop fueling Trump and Abbott’s mass deportation machine.”
DHS provides statement
KSAT has reached out to DHS for additional details on the detention of Bracho and his daughter.
An agency spokesperson said in a statement that Bracho entered the U.S. after Border Patrol officers encountered him on June 1, 2022. On Feb. 5, 2024, an immigration judge issued Bracho and his family a final removal order, DHS said.
“He (Bracho) will remain in ICE custody along with his minor daughter pending approval,” the spokesperson said.
The agency’s entire response can be read below:
On June 30, ICE arrested Jesus Rafael Bracho-Carvajal, an illegal alien from Venezuela. Border Patrol encountered him on June 1, 2022, and he was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration. On February 5, 2024, an immigration judge issued him and his family a final order of removal.
He will remain in ICE custody along with his minor daughter pending removal.
The Dilley Immigration Processing Center is retrofitted for families. Children have access to teachers, classrooms, and curriculum booklets for math, reading, and spelling. All of this is generously funded the by the U.S. taxpayer. Adults with children are housed in facilities that provide for their safety, security, and medical needs.
All detainees are provided with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals.
Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.
DHS