U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro has taken up the case of a Churchill High School student and his father who were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while on their way to an after‑school soccer practice.
Detention at a Texas Facility Sparks Outcry
Alejandro and his father Jairo were stopped on May 17 and later transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, a facility that has faced repeated allegations of mistreatment and inadequate conditions for migrants.
Castro met with the pair at the detention center and reported that Alejandro is missing his final day of 10th grade and is struggling to eat, underscoring the human toll of the detention.
The congressman emphasized that both are asylum seekers who have followed all legal procedures and should not be held in custody, calling for their immediate release.
The incident is not isolated; officials say Alejandro is at least the second San Antonio‑area student recently detained at the Dilley center, and another family consisting of a mother and her two children was briefly held after being stopped at a school bus stop before being freed through Castro’s advocacy.
The South Texas Family Residential Center, operated under contract with ICE, has been cited for overcrowding, limited medical care, and restricted access to education. Advocates argue that such environments are ill‑suited for families seeking asylum, especially when they have already navigated a complex legal process.
Castro’s office is working with legal teams and local nonprofits to expedite a release, but bureaucratic delays continue to impede progress. The congressman has vowed to keep pressing until Alejandro and Jairo can return home.