Father detained after false report traffic stop, deported to Mexico despite family advocacy
May 15, 2026·Location: San Marcos, TX
Country of origin: Mexico

On March 14, 2026, Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes, 44, and his 17-year-old son Esteban were arrested during a traffic stop in San Marcos after police responded to a false report. Police confirmed no crime had occurred. Esteban was released, but ICE placed a detainer on Gonzalez Reyes based on prior DWI convictions from 2004 and 2005 and transferred him to T. Don Hutto Detention Center. Despite over two months of community advocacy, vigils, and petitions to drop criminal charges by his family—including U.S. citizen children and a disabled wife who depends on him as a caretaker—an immigration judge ordered his deportation to Mexico in May 2026. His family plans to appeal.
Timeline
Sources
- San Marcos protesters call for man’s release from ICE custody after false report
cbsaustin.com·Apr 3, 2026·archived copy
- Arrest affidavits detail San Marcos traffic stop leading to man's arrest, ICE detainment
cbsaustin.com·Apr 6, 2026·archived copy
m.cbsaustin.com·Apr 6, 2026·archived copy
- KXAN
- How a traffic stop in San Marcos led to this father's ICE detention and his family's worst nightmare
KUT·May 15, 2026·archived copy
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