Last updated at 6 p.m.: to include reason Tonya Couch was flown to Los Angeles. 
 
 Last updated at 4:30 p.m.: to include statement from Tonya Couch’s attorneys. 
 
 Last updated at 2:37 p.m. to include details on a ruling to block Ethan Couch’s deportation. 
 
 Last updated at 10:01 a.m. to include details on Tonya Couch’s charges. 
 
 Last updated at 4:12 a.m. to include Tonya Couch’s arrival in the U.S. 
 
 Last updated at 2:15 p.m. to include information from a news conference held in Houston by the U.S. Marshals. 
 
 Last updated at 5:35 p.m. Revised to include Tonya Couch’s deportation 
 
 It appears likely that Ethan Couch, the “affluenza” teen, will spend New Year’s Day — and likely a few more after that — in the custody of Mexican authorities. 
 
 The teen remained in a Mexican jail Thursday while he awaits a judge’s ruling there on his request to block his deportation to the United States. 
 
 A spokesman in the Mexican state attorney general’s office said Thursday that Couch’s lawyers have successfully “delayed (the) deportation process for an undetermined amount of time,” adding that the wait could be “days, weeks, even months.” 
 
 Couch and his mother, Tonya, were arrested in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta Monday after spending most of December on the run from Texas authorities. The Couches fled after Ethan Couch — who is on 10 years probation for killing four people in a 2013 DWI crash — skipped a meeting with his probation officer. 
 
 Tonya Couch landed in Los Angeles early Thursday in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Authorities say she was flown there because it was the most efficient way back to the U.S. She is expected to remain in a Los Angeles jail through the weekend before returning to Texas, where she faces criminal charges for helping her son flee the country, officials said. 
 
 Her bail has been set at $1 million. 
 
 According to KXAS-TV (NBC5), Tonya Couch’s attorneys, Stephanie Patten and Steve Gordon, said in a statement that Tonya Couch “looks forward to returning to Texas as quickly as possible.” 
 
 “While the public may not like what she did, may not agree with what she did, or may have strong feelings against what she did, make no mistake — Tonya did not violate any law of the State of Texas and she is eager to have her day in court,” the statement said. 
 
 Officials originally said Wednesday that Couch and his mother were fighting removal from Mexico and might not return to the U.S. for several weeks. The U.S. Marshals Service and Mexican authorities were coordinating their return. ABC News reported Thursday that hotel employees found a handgun in the room where the mother and son were staying in Mexico. 
 
 .@ABC exclusive, the gun hotel employees say they found in Ethan Couch’s room in Mexico. We have more on @WNTonight pic.twitter.com/rGDuf4TLuw — Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) December 31, 2015 
 
 The National Immigration Institute official told the AP that Tonya Couch left late Wednesday afternoon on a flight from Guadalajara, Mexico, to Los Angeles. The person was not authorized to discuss the case and revealed the information on condition of anonymity. 
 
 The official says she was sent home because immigration authorities did not receive a judge’s injunction like the one that temporarily blocked the deportation of her son. For now he will remain in custody in Guadalajara. 
 
 Tonya Couch faces charges out of Tarrant County for aiding her son in fleeing the country. Her bail has been set at $1 million, according to ABC News. She is expected to remain in Los Angeles for days before she is brought back to Texas, said Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson. 
 
 The pair was arrested Monday in Puerto Vallarta after Ethan Couch, who got 10 years’ probation for killing four people in a DWI crash in 2013, missed a probation check-in in early December. 
 
 Is anyone surprised the Couch duo are putting up legal fight to not return and face justice? Not me. Will it never end? #EthanCouch — Dee Anderson (@SheriffAnderson) December 30, 2015 
 
 The Associated Press reports that Ethan Couch won a three-day delay in deportation. It wasn’t immediately clear, based on the AP’s report, whether Tonya Couch’s return trip was also put on hold. 
 
 In a news conference in Houston Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Marshal Richard Hunter said both Tonya and Ethan Couch had filed an “amparo” brief, asking for protection from deportation from Mexico. The filings, similar to writs of habeas corpus in the U.S., usually question the legality of deportation in hopes of delaying or canceling it. 
 
 Hunter said the Couches have several attorneys working on their behalf in Mexico. 
 
 “If they wanted to they could pay them as much money as they want to, to drag this out as long as they want to,” Hunter said. 
 
 The process could take anywhere from two weeks to several months to complete, but Hunter said the plan is to fly Ethan and Tonya Couch to the Dallas area on a commercial flight from Mexico. 
 
 Mexican authorities would accompany Ethan and Tonya Couch on the flight and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol would take over once they land. 
 
 Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said his office, which was making arrangements to receive the mom and son Wednesday evening, was told to “stand down until further notice.” 
 
 “I’ve learned at this point to not be surprised by what these people will do and how far they will go to not face justice,” Anderson said. 
 
 On Wednesday Ethan Couch’s father Fred Couch issued his first statement, through his attorney Lance Evans to ABC News, since his wife and son were arrested in Mexico. 
 
 “Fred Couch has been cooperating with officials from the Tarrant County District Attorneys Office and the U.S. Marshals Service in their search for Ethan,” the statement said. “He is very appreciative of efforts by these and other agencies to safely locate his son. Because of Ethan’s pending legal issues, Mr. Couch will have no additional comment at this time.” 
 
 Fort Worth attorney Reagan Wynn, who represented Ethan Couch at his trial two years ago, did not respond to The News’ request seeking comment Wednesday. 
 
 Couch’s defense counsel argued during the trial that he suffered from “affluenza” because of his family’s wealth and his relationship with his parents, and wasn’t able to comprehend the consequences of his actions. 
 
 Peter Schulte, a Dallas lawyer who isn’t tied to the case but has represented juveniles before, said it appears the Couches have hired Mexican counsel — lawyers familiar with the laws in that country — to help with the deportation case. 
 
 However long the extraditions take, though, Ethan and Tonya Couch’s actions south of the border will likely affect how judges here in North Texas deal with them, Schulte said. 
 
 “It’s a mistake to go down this path. It has the potential to show the judge that his intent was to flee,” Schulte said. “Ethan’s going to have to make a decision: either say he was with this all along or he’s going to have to blame his mother.” 
 
 Staff writer Alfredo Corchado contributed to this report. ||||| MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Texas teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident likely won't return to the U.S. anytime soon because of a Mexican judge's decision to delay his deportation Wednesday, but a Mexico immigration official said his mother was being flown to Los Angeles. 
 
 Cars sit parked in front of the apartment building where the Jalisco State prosecutor's office said Ethan Couch and his mother Tonya Couch had been staying when they were discovered and detained by immigration... (Associated Press) 
 
 An immigration van carrying Ethan Couch exits the federal building housing the offices of the national immigration service in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. Couch, the Texas teenager known... (Associated Press) 
 
 An immigration van carrying Ethan Couch exits the federal building housing the offices of the national immigration service in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. Couch, the Texas teenager... (Associated Press) 
 
 This Dec. 28, 2015 photo released by Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office shows who authorities identify as Ethan Couch, after he was taken into custody in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. U.S. authorities... (Associated Press) 
 
 A security agent closes a gate outside the federal building housing the offices of the national immigration service, where Ethan Couch was seen departing in an immigration van shortly after, in Guadalajara,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Richard Hunter, chief deputy for the U.S. Marshals Service in South Texas, said during a news conference in Houston that a three-day court injunction granted to Ethan Couch will likely take at least two weeks to resolve. 
 
 Later in the day, however, the teen's mother, Tonya Couch, was put on a plane to be flown from Guadalajara to Los Angeles, an official with Mexico's National Immigration Institute told The Associated Press. The official said she would be turned over to U.S. marshals. 
 
 The official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the woman was sent to the United States because immigration authorities did not receive a judge's injunction like the one that temporarily blocked her son's deportation. 
 
 Ethan Couch was transported late Wednesday to Mexico City, the official said. The decision to move Couch was made because the Mexico City facility for detaining migrants is larger and better equipped to hold someone for days or weeks. The official would not say if he was being moved by air or ground. 
 
 Authorities believe the 18-year-old Couch, who was sentenced only to probation for the 2013 wreck in Texas, fled to Mexico with his mother in November as prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation. Both were taken into custody Monday after authorities said a phone call for pizza led to their capture in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta. 
 
 The ruling earlier Wednesday by the Mexican court gives a judge three days to decide whether the younger Couch has grounds to challenge his deportation based on arguments that kicking him out of the country would violate his rights. 
 
 Hunter said the legal maneuver basically takes the decision out of an immigration agent's hands and asks a higher authority to make the deportation decision. He said such cases can often take anywhere from two weeks to several months, depending on the priorities of the local courts. 
 
 "It also depends on the fact the Couches have legal counsel. And it seems to me, if they wanted to, they could pay them as much money as they want to drag this thing out," Hunter said. "We're hopeful that's not the case. We're hopeful the Mexican immigration court will make a quick and decisive decision and return the Couches to America." 
 
 During the sentencing phase of Couch's trial in 2013, a defense expert argued that his wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility — a condition the expert termed "affluenza." The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation during the legal proceedings drew ridicule. 
 
 "Couch continues to make a mockery of the system," said Fort Worth attorney Bill Berenson, who represented Sergio Molina, who was paralyzed and suffered severe brain damage in the crash. 
 
 Couch's attorneys in the U.S. issued a statement Wednesday saying they couldn't comment on the case because they weren't licensed to practice law in Mexico. It wasn't immediately clear which attorneys were handling the case in Mexico. 
 
 Mexican police say Couch and his mother spent three days in a rented condo at a resort development in Puerto Vallarta before finding an apartment. One of the Couches' telephones had been used to order delivery from Domino's Pizza to the condominium complex in Puerto Vallarta's old town, far from the glitzy resorts of the city's newer section, according to a police report issued by the Jalisco state prosecutors' office. 
 
 Agents from the prosecutors' office went to the complex, where a tourism operator told them that the people who had occupied the condo were asked to vacate because the owners were coming to stay over Christmas, the report said. The Couches then moved to an apartment, and the agents set up a surveillance operation in the surrounding streets. 
 
 On Monday evening, two people matching the Couches' description were spotted and intercepted. The police report said they behaved evasively, claimed to be carrying no IDs, gave inconsistent stories about their names and failed to provide proof of their legal migratory status in Mexico. 
 
 They were taken into custody and handed over to immigration officials. 
 
 In Texas, Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tuesday that the Couches had prepared to be gone a while, even dyeing the teenager's blond hair black. 
 
 "They had planned to disappear. They even had something that was almost akin to a going-away party before leaving town," Anderson said. He declined to detail the party, including how many people attended. 
 
 Anderson said Couch and his mother apparently crossed the border in her pickup and drove to Puerto Vallarta. No immediate charges were planned for others who may have known about or assisted with the plan, Anderson said. He noted that authorities have no evidence that Couch's father, who owns a sheet metal factory in North Texas, was involved. 
 
 The sheriff has said he believes the two fled in late November, after a video surfaced that appears to show Ethan Couch at a party where people were drinking. If found to be drinking, Couch could see his probation revoked and face up to four months in jail. 
 
 Authorities began searching for him and his mother after he missed a mandatory appointment with his probation officer on Dec. 10. 
 
 Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said Tuesday that she planned to ask that Couch's case be transferred to adult court, where he could face up to 120 days in an adult jail, followed by 10 years' probation. If he violates that probation, he could face up to 10 years in prison per death, Wilson said. 
 
 Anderson said an arrest warrant was being issued for Tonya Couch on charges of hindering an apprehension, a third-degree felony that carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison. 
 
 Couch was driving drunk and speeding near Fort Worth in June 2013, when he crashed into a disabled SUV, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck. 
 
 He pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury. A judge sentenced him in juvenile court to 10 years' probation and a stint in a rehabilitation center. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer E. Eduardo Castillo reported this story in Mexico City and AP writer Michael Graczyk reported from Houston. AP writers Elizabeth Rivera in Guadalajara, Mexico; Emily Schmall in Fort Worth, Texas; and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
– For what could be the first time in his life, "affluenza" teen" Ethan Couch no longer has his mother nearby to look out for him. Mexican officials tell the AP that Tonya Couch was put on a plane from Guadalajara to Los Angeles on Wednesday because, unlike her 18-year-old son, she was not granted a delay in deportation to resolve legal matters. The AP reports that the mother, who faces arrest in Tarrant County, Texas, for allegedly helping her son flee the country, arrived in Los Angeles in the custody of US marshals early Thursday morning and was escorted through the airport terminal in handcuffs. Ethan, meanwhile, has been transported from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City, the AP reports, and although he was only granted a three-day injunction, a US Marshals spokesman says legal wrangling could keep him in Mexico for weeks or even months. A Texas lawyer who deals with juvenile cases tells the Dallas Morning News that dragging out the process will affect how judges in the US deal with Couch. "It's a mistake to go down this path. It has the potential to show the judge that his intent was to flee," he says. "Ethan's going to have to make a decision: either say he was with this all along or he's going to have to blame his mother." (Couch, who fled to Mexico with his mom after an alleged probation violation, was tracked down through a pizza order.)