An Edinburg family is dealing with the emotional weight of their father's detention by immigration officials, as a local counseling center reports growing demand for its services tied to immigration-related detainments.

Juan Mejia Contador, a father of four, was detained on Saturday by immigration authorities in La Feria.

He is also the co-founder of the Contador Mariachi Group in Edinburg and all four of his children are part of it.

The family says Contador came to the U.S. illegally from Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1996. He left the country and illegally re-entered in 1999, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained and later released him.

The family later tried to change his immigration status. In 2021, his oldest daughter filed a petition for him.

The family says that petition was approved and he received a work permit, Social Security number, and Texas driver's license.

But after an interview with immigration officials, the family says they received a letter months later denying his application because of a voluntary departure in 1999.

Channel 5 News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for a statement. The agency confirmed Contador is in the country illegally and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him during a targeted operation in La Feria.

DHS says Contador will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive due process.

His wife is a legal permanent resident. His children are U.S. citizens.

"We feel empty. I know he's alive, but we're worried and in pain because he's not here," Guadalupe Contador, Juan’s wife, said.

Jacob, one of Juan’s sons, said he depends on his father.

"I have autism spectrum disorder; I have a formal diagnosis for that, and I rely on my dad a lot to mobilize myself because I can't drive," Jacob said.

One of Juan's daughters, Arissa, described how the detention has affected her daily life.

"I went to school today, but I was just nervous. I couldn't focus. It was hard because all I can think about is him, how he's doing," Arissa said.

The Hope Family Health Center in McAllen says more people are coming in for support as immigration detentions affect families.

"What we find is that most of the time family members protect one another by not sharing what they feel, and that in the long run ends up causing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, isolation, trauma, and adjustment disorders," Licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor Roxanne Ramirez Cisneros said.

Cisneros said the center is working to make sure families have a place to turn, even when they cannot afford counseling.

"The healing center is here for the community, and we will do it, whether it's no cost for those family members that really cannot afford it or a sliding scale for those that are able to meet us there too," Cisneros said.

The Contador family is currently getting legal advice as they wait for answers about Juan's case.

"We are hoping, as the days evolve, that we're able to find out more about where this case is heading, where we're going," Keyla, one of Juan's daughters, said said.

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