March 9, 2026

Late last month, the brothers and their parents, Luis Antonio Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar, as well as their younger brother Joshua Gámez-Cuéllar, 12, were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to Texas representatives.

In a statement on Saturday, De La Cruz, a Republican whose district includes McAllen, where the family live, said that the family’s story “breaks my heart”.

“South Texans know better than anyone that we can secure our border and still treat people with dignity – these are not competing values,” she said.

“I have repeatedly urged that enforcement target those who actually threaten our communities, not good, law-abiding, talented people who are working through the legal process. My office is closely monitoring their situation and we are doing all we can.”