Kacey Musgraves Taps Mariachi Brothers Detained by ICE to Open Shows

Kacey Musgraves has tapped a trio of mariachi-playing brothers, who were detained by ICE earlier this year, to open three of her shows in Texas next month.

The Gámez-Cuéllar brothers, Antonio, Caleb, and Joshua, will support Musgrave May 3 to May 5 at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas. The gigs are part of Musgraves’ upcoming Middle of Nowhere tour, and tickets for the shows go on sale Wednesday, April 29, at 10 a.m. central.

The brothers, aged 12 to 18, were arrested alongside their parents at a scheduled court check-in in February. The family had fled from cartel members in Mexico and entered the United States through an asylum claim in 2023, putting down fresh roots in McAllen, Texas.

Both Antonio and Caleb are part of Mariachi Oro, the award-winning mariachi band at their high school; and Antonio is recognized as the top mariachi trumpet player in the state of Texas. Youngest sibling Joshua is also a mariachi musician.

The family’s detention sparked widespread outcry in Texas against the Trump administration’s deportation policy. The family was released in early March.

Musgraves announced the line-up news on Instagram, sharing a poster for the upcoming shows. Aside from being a vocal Trump critic, Musgraves recently told NPR about wanting to spotlight Tejano music and mariachi musicians on her new album Middle of Nowhere, which arrives May 1.

“In this modern time that we’re in, I really want to go an extra mile to really show the Mexican culture that I really deeply appreciate it, that I see it, and that it matters.” Musgraves said in March. “Ultimately, in ways that I wasn’t even aware of, [has] influenced me as a person, who I am and the music that I make today.”

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