The family of Gerardo Reyes, a Mexican migrant with more than 20 years living in the United States, demands his release after staying almost two months in detention gone by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas, after an arrest which they consider irregular during a traffic stop in San Marcos.

Reyes, 45 years old, remains held in the T. Don Hutto detention center, in Taylor, Texas, while faces an immigration process that has called for protests by activists, questions by local authorities and an internal investigation against the policeman who participated in his arrest.

In statements to EFE, Reyes described the conditions inside the immigration center. “I feel desperate. All expenses are accumulating and however where are you going to get one?”, 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 due to a strong toothache, but they have only given him painkillers. In addition, he stated 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 years old, to return some belongings to the then girlfriend. of a. sane with the family, the adolescent never left her home and both started returning home when they were arrested by agents of the San Marcos Police.

Videos 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.

Subsequently, both were charged with “interfering with public functions,” although the Hays County Prosecutor's Office decided to drop the charges upon concluding that there was no ongoing emergency and detecting inconsistencies in police actions.

The internal investigation determined that officer Jaciel Cortina violated several department policies, including issuing statements i inaccurate and lack of clear justification for detention. 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 household.

His wife, Sanjuana Escalante, a American 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 caused outrage among civilian organizations and local officials.

Hays County Judge, Rubén Becerra, expressed being “extremely disturbed” by the circumstances of the arrest and called for transparency about the police action, including the dissemination of the body recordings of the officers involved.

Lawyer Laura Flores, from the American Gateways organization, assured that this case reflects a growing pattern under the immigration policies promoted during Donald Trump's administration.

“We have represented many people who have gone directly from county custody to immigration who, legally, do not have criminal records,” he said.

The Department of Home Security(DHS) confirmed the arrest and recalled that Reyes has two former convictions for driving under the influences of alcohol, occurring in 2004 and 2005.

*With information from EFE.