Texas Mother Reunited With Children After ICE Detention

Adela Castellanos has returned to her family in San Antonio, Texas, following a nine week detention at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Her release marks the end of a separation that began on August 27, when police officers took her and her 10 year old daughter, Sofía, from their home. Both women are Honduran nationals. The arrest occurred four weeks after Castellanos gave birth to her son, William.

During the detention period, three of Castellanos’s children remained with their father. Valery, age six, Haron, age four, and William, who is now three months old, are all United States citizens. Valery memorized her mother’s alien registration number to keep the connection alive during the weeks apart. The youngest child, William, had not yet learned to walk when his mother was taken into custody.

Castellanos reported physical health issues while held in the facility. She described experiencing heavy bleeding and seeking medical attention, but doctors told her the symptoms were normal. She stated she knew they were not normal because she had been a mother before. Her lawyers, Corey Martin and Kate Lincoln-Golfinch, secured her release after several weeks of legal work. Castellanos now wears an ankle monitor as a condition of her release.

Sofía, who was arrested alongside her mother, described the difficulty of being confined in the facility. She recalled crying at night and telling her mother she was very hungry. Upon learning she would be released, Sofía said she felt a sense of relief in her heart, knowing she would soon be reunited with her siblings. She expressed excitement about returning to her classroom the following week.

The emotional reunion took place at the family’s apartment. Valery hugged her mother for several minutes. Castellanos told her daughter, “Ya no me voy a ir, ¿ok?” Valery, who learned to style her own hair for school while her mother was absent, said she wants her mother to braid it again. Sofía also shared her feelings about the return home, noting the specific joy of being back with her brothers.

The family’s ordeal began without an apparent legal justification for the arrest, according to family accounts. The detention center in Dilley, Texas, held both Castellanos and Sofía for the duration of the process. The release allows the family to reunite in their San Antonio residence, where William is now three months old and Valery is six. The legal team represented the Honduran nationals throughout the proceedings at the processing center.