Three teenage mariachi musicians who were temporarily detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February have been chosen to open for country singer Kacey Musgraves at several shows in Texas. Musgraves announced on Monday that the Gámez-Cuéllar brothers—Antonio, 18; Caleb, 14; and Joshua, 12—will join her for performances at Gruene Hall from 3 to 5 May as part of her Middle of Nowhere tour.
The last date falls on Cinco de Mayo, a holiday commemorating a Mexican military victory in 1862, widely celebrated in the US. Musgraves, a 37-year-old Texas native and Grammy winner, made the announcement after the brothers and their parents were arrested by ICE in February and later released amid bipartisan backlash.
The two younger boys and their parents were held at a family detention centre in Dilley, Texas, while Antonio was separated and placed in an adult facility, according to Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat who joined lawmakers from both parties in calling for the family's release. The case gained national attention partly because the brothers had travelled to Washington DC in summer 2025 after their high school mariachi ensemble won a state competition; their Republican representative, Monica De La Cruz, had invited the ensemble to the House floor.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the family was living in the country without legal permission and that the parents “chose to bring their adult son and two children with them”. However, the boys' father, Luis Antonio Martínez, told the New York Times that the family entered the US in 2023 on an asylum claim after fleeing cartel threats in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The family had attended scheduled court check-ins in McAllen, Texas, before being detained at an ICE appointment in February.
De La Cruz said the detention “breaks my heart”, adding: “I have repeatedly urged that enforcement target those who actually threaten our communities, not good, law-abiding, talented people who are working through the legal process.” After the family's release in March, Musgraves celebrated on Instagram, writing: “Great so come on the road with me.” Gruene Hall, built in 1878, is one of Texas's most celebrated live music venues.
