Father and 5-year-old son detained at traffic stop, deported together to Mexico
Victor Martinez Nieto and his 5-year-old son, Liam Tadeo, were detained by ICE officers during a traffic stop in North Austin on August 16, 2026, while driving to a children's soccer game. Video showed Liam crying and clutching his handcuffed father's hands as they were taken into custody; a family spokesperson said Liam had been preparing to start kindergarten that week. The two were held together at the Dilley family detention facility in South Texas, where their attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said officials denied repeated requests to release Liam to his mother rather than place him alone in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, and did not allow him to say goodbye. DHS said Martinez Nieto lacked legal status and had previously been removed from the U.S. before re-entering. Texas lawmakers Joaquin Castro, Greg Casar, and James Talarico publicly called for the pair's release and for Dilley's closure, with Castro denied a visit at the facility. Martinez Nieto ultimately agreed to depart voluntarily with his son, and the two were deported to Mexico, where they reunited with relatives with help from the Mexican Consulate.






















