A quiet Oak Hill street turned into the center of a growing outcry after federal agents took a 5-year-old girl and her mother into custody early Monday morning. Now, an Austin family is scrambling for answers about where the child is and who is looking after her.
Relatives and advocates have identified the girl as Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos. They say no one has clearly told them where she was taken or how they can secure temporary custody while her mother remains detained.
The Austin Police Department told FOX 7 Austin that officers responded around 4:35 a.m. to a disturbance call in the 6100 block of Blue Stem Trail. According to APD, officers found no disturbance or injuries at the scene. During the response, police said they identified a person with an outstanding detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, notified federal authorities, and ICE agents then took custody of the woman and her child, as reported by FOX 7 Austin.
Local advocates and the family have since gone public, pressing officials to help locate Génesis and to set up emergency custody plans while her mother is held in federal detention, according to Univision 62 Austin. Relatives told Univision they believe Génesis is a U.S. citizen and say repeated calls to local police, ICE, and Child Protective Services have not yielded clear information about where she is.
Advocates Demand Clarity After Hand-Off To ICE
Grassroots Leadership has said that the child and her mother were apparently turned over to ICE without family members being notified or Child Protective Services stepping in, a concern the group and relatives have aired in public. "We are so worried," Germán, Génesis’ uncle, told FOX 7 Austin.
Organizers are urging authorities to confirm the girl’s location so relatives can begin formal custody proceedings while her mother remains in federal custody. Without that basic information, they say, the family is stuck in limbo alongside the child.
Where Is Génesis Now?
Univision 62 Austin reports that the family could not locate Génesis in ICE or CPS databases and was told that she and her mother may have been transferred to San Antonio. At the time of that reporting, no agency had publicly confirmed such a move.
The family and advocates say they need swift, concrete answers to safeguard the 5-year-old’s welfare and to seek temporary guardianship while the immigration case moves forward, according to Univision 62 Austin.
Local Cops, Federal Agents And The Gaps In Between
Advocates say the case underscores longstanding tensions over how local police interact with federal immigration authorities when children are on the scene. Austin officers have previously said they do not always get advance notice of ICE operations and that the department is required to notify federal officials if a background check reveals an ICE detainer, according to reporting by KUT. Critics argue that this communication gap can leave families scrambling for information, legal assistance, and basic assurances about a child’s care.
What Comes Next For The Family
The episode adds to a series of enforcement actions across Texas that have fueled demands for clearer protocols when immigration officials detain parents who have children with them, as documented by the Texas Tribune. For now, relatives and community organizers say they are keeping the pressure on local and federal agencies to confirm where Génesis is and to explain how custody will be handled while the case winds through the immigration system.
