{"id":413461,"date":"2026-08-22T02:32:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T02:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/413461\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T02:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T02:32:07","slug":"ice-identifies-father-detained-in-austin-with-5-year-old-son-details-immigration-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/413461\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE identifies father detained in Austin with 5-year-old son, details immigration history"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified the father of a 5-year-old boy whose detention in Austin drew criticism from U.S. Rep. Greg Casar<\/a>, telling CBS Austin that the father and son will remain together in federal immigration custody pending removal.<\/p>\n

In a statement to CBS Austin Friday, a DHS spokesperson said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Victor Martinez Nieto on Sunday, Aug. 16, during a vehicle stop in Austin.<\/p>\n

The agency says Martinez Nieto is a Mexican national who entered the United States illegally near Laredo in March 2022. DHS said he was arrested in Hutto in November of 2025. According to the agency, Martinez Nieto accepted voluntary departure and was removed from the United States in February of 2026.<\/p>\n

DHS said sometime after the February removal, he illegally re-entered the country at an unknown time and location.<\/p>\n

Video circulating online appears to show Liam crying as officers escorted him and his father into a vehicle.<\/p>\n

“It was really hard to watch. As the dad of a young boy myself, I could not help but think about what if this were my kid,” said Congressman Greg Casar, who represents the 35th Congressional District, which includes part of Austin and extends south into San Antonio.<\/p>\n

RELATED| Casar draws parallels in arrest of 5-year-old Austin boy sent to Dilley detention center<\/a><\/p>\n

The new details come after Casar said Thursday that the 5-year-old boy, identified as Liam, had been detained while on his way to a soccer game in Austin and was being held at the Dilley detention facility south of San Antonio. Casar called for the child’s release and criticized the detention of children at the facility.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Casar on Friday, CBS Austin asked, “We contacted ICE, and they sent us a statement basically saying that Liam’s father was removed from the country in February and then he illegally re-entered. Does that change how you feel about what happened?”<\/p>\n

“Liam’s dad, from what I’ve heard, has no criminal history and does not pose a threat, and we need our federal law enforcement resources focused on real threats to our community,” said Casar.<\/p>\n

ICE says Martinez Nieto and his son will remain together in federal custody while the father awaits removal.<\/p>\n

The agency says parents can choose to be removed with their children \u2014 or designate what ICE calls a “safe person” to take the child.<\/p>\n

CBS Austin asked Casar, “ICE also says Liam’s father can designate a ‘safe person’ who could take Liam, and then Liam would not be with him at the detention facility. Considering that, what should ICE have done differently?”<\/p>\n

“ICE can say what they want, but right now they have a 5-year-old in a prison in Dilley when that 5-year-old could safely be with his mom,” said Casar.<\/p>\n

ICE also disputes criticism of conditions at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.<\/p>\n

The agency says the facility is designed for families and provides children with teachers, classrooms, and educational materials, along with medical care.<\/p>\n

While DHS did provide CBS Austin with a statement on the arrest of Martinez Nieto, the agency did not answer specific questions such as why the child was taken into ICE custody rather than released to another parent, relative, or guardian and whether another guardian was available.<\/p>\n

The agency also did not answer CBS Austin’s questions about where in Austin the vehicle stop occurred, what prompted the stop, which agency initiated it, or how long the 5-year-old is expected to remain at Dilley.<\/p>\n

No information was available about the father’s and son’s immigration proceedings beyond that they will remain in custody pending removal.<\/p>\n

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FULL STATEMENT:<\/p>\n

On August 16, ICE arrested Victor Martinez Nieto, an illegal alien from Mexico, during a vehicle stop in Austin, Texas. Martinez Nieto illegally entered the country around March 10, 2022, near Laredo, Texas.On November 15, 2025, ICE arrested Martinez Nieto, in Hutto, Texas. He accepted voluntary departure and was removed from the country on February 12, 2026. Martinez Nieto illegally reentered the country at an unknown time and place after being removed.Martinez Nieto and his son will remain together in ICE custody pending removal.Parents have a choice if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administrations\u2019 immigration enforcement.The Dilley Detention Center is retrofitted for families. Children have access to teachers, classrooms, and curriculum booklets for math, reading, and spelling. All of this is generously funded by the U.S. taxpayer. Adults with children are housed in facilities that provide for their safety, security, and medical needs.Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified the father of a 5-year-old boy whose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-413461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}