ICE takes 5-year-old and mom into custody from Texas community

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin family says it is looking for their 5-year-old niece after she and her mother were taken into custody in the Oak Hill community.

The backstory:

The Austin Police Department says on Jan. 5 at around 4:35 a.m. that officers responded to a disturbance call in the 6100 block of Blue Stem Trail.

APD says officers investigated and found no disturbance and no injuries.

During the course of the response, APD says officers identified a person with an administrative warrant issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

APD notified ICE and federal authorities arrived and took custody of the woman and her child.

Dig deeper:

The group Grassroots Leadership released a statement identifying the child as 5-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos.

It says that Castellanos' family is seeking help locating Génesis so that they can begin custody arrangements so she can remain with them while her mother is detained. 

The family says Génesis is a U.S. citizen.

Grassroots Leadership says apparently no effort was made to contact family members or involve CPS before turning Génesis and her mother over to ICE.

What they're saying:

"It has been two days and we don’t have any information. We are so worried, especially about my little niece. We want to know where she is and whether she’s alone or with her mom," said Germán, Génesis’ uncle and a U.S. citizen. "It’s a feeling of anguish and powerlessness that I wouldn’t wish on anybody."

FOX 7 Austin has reached out to ICE for a response.