Houston mother's detention by ICE officials during road trip leaves family searching for answers
Jonatan Pech, 18, speaks on behalf of his mother, Santos Teresa Tzep Xaminez, who was recently detained by ICE while driving her son to college, at a press conference organized by FIEL Houston on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer)
A family road trip from Houston that should have ended with Jonatan Pech excited about his first year of college following a scholarship offer instead ended Tuesday with the teenager left to guess about when he'll next see his mother.
Pech, 18, was traveling to Corpus Christi with his brother, sister and mother when they were pulled over by local law enforcement in Refugio near Corpus Christi, Pech told reporters Friday morning.
His older brother was given a warning for driving with high beams on. But his mother, Santos Teresa Tzep Xaminez, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, was detained during the stop by Refugio police and taken from her family after local law enforcement asked her for her ID.
An official with the police department told the Houston Chronicle that local officers usually alert the U.S. Border Patrol agents when police encounter someone in the country illegally.
"She came back to the car with tears running down her face. She opened the back seat door, she grabbed her stuff and she just told us, ‘They're going to take me," Pech said at a news conference in Houston on Friday. "I couldn't even step out of the vehicle to hug her, kiss her."
Jonatan Pech, 18, is photographed as a photograph of him and his mother is shown at a press conference organized by FIEL Houston in response to the recent detainment of Pech's mother, Santos Teresa Tzep Xaminez, who was recently detained by ICE while driving her son to college, on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer)
No answers about detention
Tzep Xamirez, a single mother, has no criminal history, the family said. They have no clear answers on why she was detained and transferred to federal custody. She's since been transferred between detention facilities around the state.
"They stopped her in Corpus Christi, moved her to McAllen and now she's in El Valle detention center, I believe, since the last time I spoke with her," Pech said.
Pech, who graduated from Sharpstown International School in May, is scheduled to attend Texas A&M University this fall. The family was driving to Corpus Christi for an orientation about a program that required new students to be off the main campus for a year.
Cesar Espinosa, the executive director of FIEL Houston, an immigrant advocacy group, said there was no reason for local police to detain Tzep Xaminez, who has been in the country for more than 20 years.
"His mom was a hard-working mom who was only trying to make a living, a fair living, for her and her three children," he said. "So, we want to highlight the fact that most of these families are just like other families in our community: they're just trying to make it to better their lives and the lives of their children."
Jonata Pech, 18, is photographed alongside Cesar Espinosa, Executive Director FIEL Houston, as Espinosa shows members of the press a photograph of Pech and his mother, Santos Teresa Tzep Xaminez, who was recently detained by ICE while driving her son to college, at a press conference organized by FIEL Houston on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer)
Local police cooperating with ICE agents
Espinosa said the arrest continues a trend seen since January, when federal officials began ramping up their deportation and enforcement efforts under orders from President Donald Trump.
"Before January 20th, we would probably get one or two calls of deportation every other month," he said. "Right now, our office is receiving anywhere from 10 to 15 to 20 calls a day. We have seen an increase in folks getting pulled over and getting taken away for minor traffic violations, not only in the city of Houston but in the surrounding areas."
Pech said his mother inquired about applying for legal status, but it was expensive and time-consuming. His mother had more pressing issues, like earning money for food and rent, he said.
Espinosa said Pech's experience should be a lesson to immigrants throughout the state as more local law enforcement agencies begin working with federal immigration agencies.
State legislation passed earlier this year requires that most counties enter into agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement where deputies can identify immigrants in the country illegally once they're in local jails.
This year, Houston police have recorded more cases where they have contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement during interactions - most of them traffic stops - after administrative warrants were added to a federal law enforcement database.
Until there is more clarity on his mother's case, Pech said he wanted to send her a message.
"The realization that you may never come back is something hard to swallow. But I promise I'm going to try my hardest to make sure that doesn't happen," he said, reading aloud from a letter he wrote to his mother. "The same way you tried so hard for us. I'm here to speak on your behalf and to help everyone understand how blessed I am to have you."
