A Venezuelan family detained by ICE while awaiting a school bus in Alamo Heights was released Thursday, ending a two-week ordeal, advocates say.
Rania Kaur, Kristin Dean, KENS 5 Staff (KENS 5)
7:08 AM CDT May 14, 2026
9:17 AM CDT May 14, 2026
Two children and their stepmother were released Thursday from an ICE faciity after being detained at a bus stop as the children waited to go to school.
For more than two weeks, the family has been in the ICE Dilley detention center. They were taken into custody at a bus stop in Alamo Heights, prompting a huge outcry from the Alamo Heights community.
The kids father, Victor Labrador, had been walking his wife Betania, and two kids, Victor and Monserrat, to the bus stop April 27. He says he went back to the apartment to get his keys, and when he returned, his family was surrounded by ICE. Labrador says Betania was told by agents that she resembled another woman they were searching for who also had two children.
The family, from Venezuela, is seeking asylum in the United States, and had a court date scheduled for 2027. Labrador says they have complied with all prior immigration requirements and have attended all hearings related to their case.
The Dilley facility has come under the stoplight in recent months, with advocates saying it has poor living conditions and is an inadequate place to be housing families with young children. Lawmakers say detainees reported limited access to doctors and untreated medical conditions. Rep. Sylvia Garcia cited accounts from women who said their health concerns, including high blood pressure and gallstones, were dismissed.
Congressman Joaquin Castro got involved early on and has been advocating for their release. He posted Wednesday on social media announcing the family will be coming home to San Antonio.
This is a developing story and further details will be added as they are released. Check back to this article for updates.