A 5-year-old boy was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody along with his father after a traffic stop in Austin on August 16, and both are now being held at the immigration detention center in Dilley, in South Texas, according to reporting by Fox and statements from the Department of Homeland Security.
The child was identified by his family as Liam Tadeo, and his father as Victor Martinez Nieto.
According to family members cited in the reporting, the two were on their way to a soccer game when the stop occurred.
DHS confirmed that ICE arrested Martinez Nieto during the traffic stop and described him as an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. According to the agency, he entered the United States without authorization near Laredo in March 2022.
The department said the arrest followed an earlier immigration history.
ICE had arrested Martinez Nieto on November 15, 2025, in Hutto, DHS said, after which “he accepted voluntary departure and was removed from the country” on February 12, 2026, a DHS spokesperson told Fox. “Martinez Nieto illegally reentered the country at an unknown time and place after being removed,” the spokesperson said, using the department’s terminology, as reported by Fox.
DHS said the father and son would not be separated in custody. “Martinez Nieto and his son will remain together in ICE custody pending removal,” the spokesperson said, according to Fox.
Both father and son are being held at the family immigration detention center in Dilley, southwest of San Antonio, the reporting said. The government uses the facility to hold parents and children together while their immigration cases are processed.
Relatives described the detention circumstances in a public fundraising appeal. “The detention of Liam and my brother-in-law was cruel; they are not criminals — they were simply on their way to a soccer match,” a family member wrote in the appeal, as quoted by Fox. The relative added that Liam is “a beautiful, intelligent, and big-hearted little boy.”
According to the Spanish-language network N+ Univision, cited in the reporting, the boy’s mother — who asked not to be identified — said Liam called her from the detention center to tell her he loved and missed her.
DHS said the father and son remain in ICE custody pending removal, according to Fox. Details of the encounter, including precisely what led to the traffic stop, remain limited. This is a developing story, and CTN will update its coverage as more information is confirmed.
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