“ICE thugs don’t protect people, they terrorize them”: Nationwide outrage erupts after immigration agents “kidnapped” two innocent children on their way to school and sent them to controversial Texas detention center

Texas – The detention of two elementary school children in Texas has exploded into a national controversy, triggering outrage from immigration advocates, local residents, and Democratic lawmakers who say the arrests represent a disturbing escalation in immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

At the center of the uproar are 11-year-old Victor Uzategui-Labrador Jr. and 8-year-old Monseratt Uzategui-Labrador, two elementary school students who were detained by ICE agents on their way to school. Their stepmother, Maria Betania Uzategui Castillo, was also taken into custody during the operation, which reportedly unfolded in front of classmates and other children heading to school.

The arrests happened on April 27 and immediately sparked anger throughout the community. Witnesses described children watching in shock as federal immigration officers detained the family at the bus stop during the morning school routine.

According to Rep. Joaquin Castro, the family came to the United States from Venezuela in 2021 seeking asylum. Castro’s office said they turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents after crossing into the country and had work permits allegedly allowing them to remain in the United States through 2030.

“ICE arrested a 5th grader and 2nd grader at the school bus stop in San Antonio as their classmates watched in horror. Their stepmother was detained with them. The community at Alamo Heights Independent School District elementary is speaking out—no child should be locked away at the Dilley trailer prison,” Castro wrote in a social media post.

ICE arrested a 5th grader and 2nd grader at the school bus stop in San Antonio as their classmates watched in horror. Their stepmother was detained with them. The community at Alamo Heights Independent School District elementary is speaking out—no child should be locked away at… pic.twitter.com/WT12QA4zNX

— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) May 4, 2026

The Texas Democrat later added, “I am in touch with their father, Victor Labrador, and I plan on visiting with the family during my inspection of Dilley tomorrow. The family were asylum seekers and had valid work permits—what is happening to them is shameful.”

Protesters Accuse ICE of Terrorizing Communities

As outrage spread online, demonstrations quickly followed on the ground. Around 50 protesters gathered in Alamo Heights on May 3 near the intersection of Loop 410 and Broadway to condemn the detentions and demand the family’s release.

The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, whose members accused ICE of targeting immigrant families rather than dangerous criminals.

Toru Ramierez, one of the protest organizers, delivered some of the harshest criticism. “It’s clear that ICE is not here to make our neighborhoods safer when they are kidnapping innocent children on their way to school,” Ramierez said. He continued with a statement that rapidly spread across social media and fueled even more national attention around the case. “Trump’s and [the Department of Homeland Security’s] lies are on full display yet again. ICE thugs don’t protect people, they terrorize them. Specifically, they racistly target and terrorize our neighbors for not being white.”

The family is now reportedly being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center, a detention facility that has become a major flashpoint in national immigration debates. Critics have repeatedly accused the center of poor conditions, inadequate healthcare, and traumatic treatment of detained children.

Castro has been one of the facility’s most outspoken critics for months. “There are no criminals at Dilley,” Castro previously told the media. “None of those people has committed a crime.” The congressman has repeatedly pushed for the facility to be shut down entirely, arguing that children should never be housed in detention centers while awaiting immigration proceedings. Recent reports from lawmakers and advocacy groups have also raised concerns about conditions inside the detention facility, including overcrowding, healthcare problems, and emotional trauma among detained minors.

DHS Defends the Arrests

The Department of Homeland Security, however, strongly defended ICE’s actions. A DHS spokesperson said that the family was in the country illegally despite claims surrounding asylum requests and work authorization. “They illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico on December 4, 2021,” the spokesperson said. “This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.”

That response only intensified political divisions around the case. Immigration advocates argue the family followed asylum procedures and complied with federal authorities after arriving in the United States. Critics of the administration say the arrests demonstrate a broader crackdown that increasingly targets families, children, and asylum seekers instead of violent offenders.

The controversy also arrives amid growing national attention surrounding ICE detention of minors. Several recent cases involving children being held at Dilley have already sparked backlash across the country. Now, the images of two elementary school students allegedly taken from a bus stop in front of classmates have become the latest symbol in an already explosive national debate over immigration enforcement, family detention, and the human cost of increasingly aggressive ICE operations.