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Venezuelan mother and two children detained at school bus stop, released after judge's order

May 14, 2026 · Alamo Heights, TX, Venezuela

Venezuelan mother and two children detained at school bus stop, released after judge's order

Maria Betania Uzcategui Castillo, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker with valid work authorization through 2030, and her two elementary school-aged children—Victor Uzcategui-Labrador Jr. (age 11) and Monserrat Uzcategui-Labrador (age 8)—were detained by ICE agents on April 27, 2026, at a school bus stop in Alamo Heights, Texas. The family, who had arrived at the U.S. border in 2021 seeking asylum and had complied with prior immigration requirements with a court date scheduled for 2027, were transported to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The children, both students at Cambridge Elementary in Alamo Heights Independent School District, were reported as deeply traumatized by the detention. Community organizing efforts, including a rally and fundraising campaign that raised over $28,000 for legal fees, followed the arrest. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered their release on May 13, 2026, and the family was released on May 14, pending immigration hearings.

Timeline

May 14, 2026Family released from custody pending immigration hearings scheduled for later that month
May 13, 2026U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered family's release
May 6, 2026Rep. Joaquin Castro visited family at Dilley detention facility and reported children are deeply traumatized
Apr 27, 2026Maria Betania Uzcategui Castillo and her two children detained by ICE agents at school bus stop in Alamo Heights, Texas
Apr 27, 2026Family transported to South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas

Sources

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