{"id":270526,"date":"2026-04-28T23:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T23:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/270526\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T23:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T23:53:08","slug":"ice-detained-mariachi-brothers-will-open-for-kacey-musgraves-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/270526\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE-detained Mariachi Brothers will open for Kacey Musgraves in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two months after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents<\/a> in South Texas, the Mariachi Brothers will serve as the opening act for country star Kacey Musgraves during a string of shows in the Lone Star State. <\/p>\n

Musgraves announced the surprise collaboration with the G\u00e1mez-Cu\u00e9llar brothers \u2014 Antonio, 18, Caleb, 15, and Joshua, 12 \u2014 in a Tuesday morning Instagram post<\/a>. They will open for the \u201cSpace Cowboy\u201d singer at the famed Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, on May 3, 4 and 5. <\/p>\n

The brothers were members of McAllen High School\u2019s prestigious Mariachi Oro band, which is one of the most decorated youth mariachi groups in the country. The band has performed in such illustrious venues as New York\u2019s Carnegie Hall and the U.S. Capitol. <\/p>\n

The G\u00e1mez-Cu\u00e9llar family first made news when the brothers and their parents were detained by ICE on Feb. 25 after a routine immigration check-in. The eldest brother was sent to a detention center in Raymondville, Texas, while the rest of the family was sent to Texas\u2019s notorious Dilley Immigration Processing Center<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Department of Homeland Security officials told the Associated Press<\/a> at the time of the detainment that only their parents, Emma Guadalupe Cu\u00e9llar Lopez and Luis Antonio G\u00e1mez Martinez, were meant to go into detention \u2014 but that they \u201cchose\u201d to take their children with them. DHS also claimed they had illegally entered the U.S. near Brownsville, Texas, in 2023.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the New York Times<\/a>, the family\u2019s patriarch refuted the DHS claim, maintaining that the family had entered the country legally through an asylum claim. <\/p>\n

After the family was detained, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio posted a video on Instagram<\/a> denouncing ICE\u2019s actions. <\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump said he was going after criminals,\u201d Castro said in the social media clip. \u201c[These kids] were safe enough to tour the White House. And yet, the Trump administration has them sitting in a prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outrage also came from the other side of the political aisle, with Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican, condemning the family\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe G\u00e1mez-Cu\u00e9llar family\u2019s story breaks my heart. South Texans know better than anyone that we can secure our border and still treat people with dignity \u2014 these are not competing values,\u201d De La Cruz said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 9, all members of the family were released from detention after the mounting public press campaign. <\/p>\n

Following their release, Musgraves \u2014 a longtime fan of the many<\/a> musical<\/a> stylings<\/a> of Mexico \u2014 reposted<\/a> an article about the brothers being freed with the caption: \u201cGreat so come on the road with me.\u201d<\/p>\n