AUSTIN, Texas — A 5-year-old boy and his father, who were detained by immigration authorities in Austin earlier this month, have been deported to Mexico and reunited with relatives, according to the family’s attorney.
The attorney confirmed to CBS Austin on Wednesday that Victor Martinez Nieto and his 5-year-old son, Liam, were deported Tuesday night. She declined to disclose their current location, citing safety concerns for the father and child.
According to the attorney, Martinez Nieto and Liam were given no assistance from the U.S. government to get home after arriving in Mexico. She said assistance from the Mexican Consulate and Mexican government helped provide the funds needed to get the father and son to relatives, with whom they have since reunited.
In a social media post Wednesday, the attorney said Martinez Nieto was given the choice of being deported alone while Liam remained in detention or taking his son with him. She also alleged immigration authorities refused to release the 5-year-old to his mother.
The deportation comes less than two weeks after U.S. Rep. Greg Casar brought attention to the family’s detention, saying Liam was on his way to a soccer game when he and his father were taken into custody.
DHS previously told CBS Austin that Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Martinez Nieto during a vehicle stop in Austin on Aug. 16.
According to DHS, Martinez Nieto entered the United States near Laredo in March 2022. ICE arrested him in Hutto in November 2025, and DHS said he accepted voluntary departure and was removed from the country on Feb. 12, 2026. DHS said Martinez Nieto later reentered the country at an unknown time and location.
Following his Aug. 16 arrest, Martinez Nieto and Liam were transferred to the Dilley immigration detention facility south of San Antonio.
At the time, DHS told CBS Austin the father and son would remain together in ICE custody pending removal. The agency said parents could choose to be removed with their children or have ICE place their children with a person designated by the parent.
DHS also defended conditions at the Dilley facility, saying it is designed for families and provides children with access to teachers, classrooms and educational materials.
Casar had called for Liam’s immediate release and the closure of the Dilley facility.
“I’m calling for the immediate release of Liam, the immediate release of all of these kids, and for the closure of the Dilley trailer prison, because kids should be playing soccer, going to school, living their lives, not being arrested on the streets,” Casar previously said.
In her Wednesday social media post, the family’s attorney criticized the deportation and said the case had resulted in “another family torn apart” and “another child traumatized.”
The attorney confirmed to CBS Austin that Liam and his father are now with relatives in Mexico.