Yaniuska López Contreras, 40, a special education assistant from a Pflugerville elementary school, and her 7-year-old daughter María Isabella Bruces López were arrested by federal agents on January 6, 2026, while attending a routine court appointment in San Antonio, Texas. Both have since been held at the ICE detention center in Dilley, Texas, where María Isabella has shown symptoms of depression and was referred to a psychologist and then a psychiatrist after drawing a picture of herself and her mother crying. The mother and daughter, who live in Austin and have an active asylum case with a hearing scheduled for February 9, fear both returning to Venezuela and remaining in detention. Their family is asking for help to draw attention to the case so the two can be released.