5-year-old boy detained with father in Austin traffic stop, held at Dilley facility
Aug 20, 2026·Location: Austin, TX
Country of origin: Mexico

Liam Tadeo, a 5-year-old just days from starting kindergarten, was detained by ICE agents alongside his father, Victor Martinez Nieto, after federal agents stopped their vehicle in Austin, Texas, while the family was headed to a soccer game. Both were booked into the CoreCivic-operated South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where DHS said they would remain together pending Martinez Nieto's removal. Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said Martinez Nieto begged ICE to release Liam to his mother, as was done for the boy's 3-year-old cousin and uncle detained in the same stop, but ICE refused. Liam's mother said she could not say goodbye to her son, that his bedroom remains untouched, and that the family wants them reunited. His aunt described him in a GoFundMe post as 'a beautiful, intelligent, and big-hearted little boy.' DHS said Martinez Nieto, a Mexican national, had previously accepted voluntary departure in February before reentering the U.S. without authorization. Fuerza Migrante called on Mexican authorities to intervene, while U.S. Rep. Greg Casar called for Liam's immediate release and closure of the Dilley facility, and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said ICE denied his request to visit the family. Members of Congress have said children at Dilley have been denied medical care, and an immigration attorney said Liam will likely remain there for weeks with an uncertain future.
Timeline
Sources
- ICE accused of detaining 5-year-old on way to soccer game in Texas
Newsweek·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- Casar draws parallels in arrest of 5-year-old Austin boy sent to Dilley detention center
cbsaustin.com·Aug 20, 2026·archived copy
- Another 5-year-old boy named Liam detained by ICE, family says
the-independent.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
independent.co.uk·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- ICE refuses to let U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro visit 5-year-old detained at Dilley trailer prison
sacurrent.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- ICE identifies father detained in Austin with 5-year-old son, details immigration history
cbsaustin.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- 5-year-old Austin boy detained by ICE on way to soccer game, officials say
statesman.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- Family left heartbroken as ICE rips away 5-year-old boy from his mother on the way to soccer game
dailymail.com·Aug 24, 2026
- 5-year-old boy and father will be deported after ICE arrest on way to Austin soccer game
KUT·Aug 24, 2026
- Lawyer claims ICE ignored pleas to release 5-year-old to his mother
scrippsnews.com·Aug 24, 2026
- ICE detains 5-year-old boy in Texas on his way to play soccer with his father
heraldousa.com·2026-8-24T14:59:00-06:00
- Five-year-old boy and his father, detained in Austin on their way to a soccer game, will be deported
keranews.org·Aug 24, 2026
tpr.org·Aug 24, 2026
- Casar Demands Shutdown of Texas Detention Center After ICE Abducts 5-Year-Old on Way to Soccer Match
alaska-native-news.com·Aug 25, 2026
- FWD.us Calls for Immediate Release of Five-Year-Old Liam Tadeo, Closure of Dilley and End to Family Detention
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