No Longer Detained By Ice, The Mariachi Brothers Will Perform With Kacey Musgraves In Texas

Two months aft being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents successful South Texas, nan Mariachi Brothers will service arsenic nan opening enactment for state prima Kacey Musgraves during a drawstring of shows successful nan Lone Star State.

Musgraves announced nan astonishment collaboration pinch nan Gámez-Cuéllar brothers — Antonio, 18, Caleb, 15, and Joshua, 12 — successful a Tuesday greeting Instagram post. They will unfastened for nan “Space Cowboy” vocalist astatine nan famed Gruene Hall successful New Braunfels, Texas, connected May 3, 4 and 5.

The brothers were members of McAllen High School’s prestigious Mariachi Oro band, which is 1 of nan astir dressed up younker mariachi groups successful nan country. The set has performed successful specified illustrious venues arsenic New York’s Carnegie Hall and nan U.S. Capitol.

The Gámez-Cuéllar family first made news erstwhile nan brothers and their parents were detained by ICE connected Feb. 25 aft a regular migration check-in. The eldest relative was sent to a detention halfway successful Raymondville, Texas, while nan remainder of nan family was sent to Texas’s notorious Dilley Immigration Processing Center.

Department of Homeland Security officials told nan Associated Press astatine nan clip of nan detainment that only their parents, Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar Lopez and Luis Antonio Gámez Martinez, were meant to spell into detention — but that they “chose” to return their children pinch them. DHS besides claimed they had illegally entered nan U.S. adjacent Brownsville, Texas, successful 2023.

In an question and reply pinch nan New York Times, nan family’s patriarch refuted nan DHS claim, maintaining that nan family had entered nan state legally done an asylum claim.

After nan family was detained, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio posted a video on Instagram denouncing ICE’s actions.

“Donald Trump said he was going aft criminals,” Castro said successful nan societal media clip. “[These kids] were safe capable to circuit nan White House. And yet, nan Trump management has them sitting successful a prison.”

Outrage besides came from nan different broadside of nan governmental aisle, pinch Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican, condemning nan family’s situation.

“The Gámez-Cuéllar family’s communicative breaks my heart. South Texans cognize amended than anyone that we tin unafraid our separator and still dainty group pinch dignity — these are not competing values,” De La Cruz said successful a statement. “I person many times urged that enforcement target those who really frighten our communities, not good, law-abiding, talented group who are moving done nan ineligible process.”

On March 9, each members of nan family were released from detention aft nan mounting nationalist property campaign.

Following their release, Musgraves — a longtime instrumentality of nan many musical stylings of Mexico — reposted an article astir nan brothers being freed pinch nan caption: “Great truthful travel connected nan roadworthy pinch me.”