The family of Gerardo Reyes, a Mexican migrant who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, demands his release after spending almost two months detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) in Texas, after an arrest that they consider irregular during a traffic stop in San Marcos.
Reyes, forty-five years old, remains held at the T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor, Texas, while he faces an immigration process that has sparked protests by activists, questions from local authorities and an internal investigation against the police officer who participated in his arrest.
In statements to EFE, Reyes described the conditions inside the immigration center. “I feel desperate. “All the expenses are piling up and where is one going to get it from?” he stated during a video call from the place of detention. He also reported health problems and poor sanitary conditions.
According to his testimony, He has requested medical attention for a severe toothache, but they have only given him painkillers. In addition, he assured that the cold is excessive and that several detainees have respiratory illnesses.
The events occurred on March 14, 2026, when Reyes accompanied his son Esteban, 17, to return some belongings to the minor’s then-girlfriend. According to the family, the teenager never left her home and both began returning home when they were detained by San Marcos Police officers.
Movies released by the family show that The officers ordered the young man to get out of the vehicle without clearly explaining the reason for the arrest. The teenager questioned the police action and Reyes intervened to protect him.
Both were later charged with “interfering with public functions,” although the Hays County Prosecutor’s Office decided to drop the charges after concluding that there was no ongoing emergency and detecting inconsistencies in police action.
The internal investigation determined that Officer Jaciel Cortina violated several department policies, including issuing inaccurate statements and failing to provide clear justification for the stop. As a result, he was suspended for 24 hours and sent to mandatory training.
Meanwhile, the economic situation of the Reyes family has deteriorated rapidly since the arrest of Gerardo, who was the main breadwinner of the home.
His wife, Sanjuana Escalante, a US citizen and disabled after a car accident, explained that she depended completely on him.
“I depend on him, he is the one who supports the family financially, emotionally and physically,” he declared.
Escalante indicated that the couple had initiated procedures to regularize Reyes’ immigration status, but the process was stopped due to the medical expenses derived from his accident.
Given the context, the case has sparked outrage among civil organizations and local officials.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said he was “extremely disturbed” by the circumstances of the arrest and called for transparency about police actions. including the dissemination of body recordings of the agents involved.
Attorney Laura Flores, from the American Gateways organization, assured that this case reflects a growing pattern under the immigration policies promoted during the Donald Trump administration.
“We have represented many people who have gone directly from county custody to immigration custody who, legally, do not have a criminal record,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the arrest and recalled that Reyes has two previous convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol, which occurred in 2004 and 2005.
*With information from EFE.
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