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“All you will feel is sadness and mostly depression.” 14-year-old detained child at the Dilley detention center
“The only thing they tell you is to drink more water… and it seems the water is what makes people sick.” 12-year-old detained at Dilley
These are just a few of the testimonials of children detained at the Dilley Detention Center in South Texas. [1] Liam Conejo Ramos, the boy in the bunny hat, and children as young as two-months-old have been held in these facilities, exposed to conditions that are unsafe, [2], neglectful, [3] and deeply harmful to their development and well-being. [4]
Even though Liam has been released from Dilley, his parents report that he is still experiencing fear and trauma.[5] I wish I could say Liam’s situation is unusual, but it’s not. In the past year alone, at least 6,200 children have been detained by immigration authorities, despite repeated warnings from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other experts about the serious harm detention causes to children. [6] [7]
What’s happening? The Dilley Detention Center has become one of the primary facilities holding children and families during President Trump’s second term, and the conditions inside are deeply alarming. [8] More than 700 complaints have been filed, detailing reports of rotten food, foul-smelling water, and inadequate medical care. [9]
Many of these children and families have lived in American communities for years, [10] attending school, building friendships, and putting down roots, before being detained, often during routine immigration check-ins or while their legal cases were still pending. Now, they are separated from their homes, families, schools, and support systems.
Unfortunately, what is happening in Dilley is part of a much larger pattern. Across the country, the immigration detention system is expanding rapidly, even as evidence of harm continues to mount. The Trump administration is pushing to dramatically increase ICE detention capacity, including by converting around two dozen industrial warehouses into detention sites. [11]
These warehouses are spaces built to store goods, often without windows or fresh air. Yet they are being repurposed to confine thousands of people at a time, with some facilities projected to hold up to 10,000 individuals under one roof. [12] Behind those numbers are real people, our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and community members, whose lives could be upended and confined in spaces never meant for human beings, often without meaningful access to due process.
Last week, alongside fellow advocates, I stood outside the Dilley Detention Center. It was a heavy, sobering place to be. I couldn’t stop thinking about the children inside, the fear they carry, the confusion, the trauma that surrounds them.
That same morning, baby Kaleth, a 2-year-old who had gone 12 days without solid food, was finally released due to the public outcry. [13] Leaving that place likely saved his life. But so many others remain inside, and we don’t know their stories, or even the state of their health.
That uncertainty is deeply alarming. By the end of March 2026, at least 46 people had died in ICE custody since January 2025. [14] In 2026 alone, deaths are occurring at an average of one every six days. Many of those who died had repeatedly asked for medical care and were ignored. [15]
What’s happening in other ICE facilities only deepens these concerns. In San Benito, Texas, Representatives Joaquín Castro and Greg Casar visited a detention facility where they encountered pregnant teenage girls and other minors who had just given birth, along with their newborn babies. During the visit, Castro reported that he was not allowed to speak with them, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and what is happening behind closed doors. [16]
This rapid ICE expansion also raises a pressing question: What is being sacrificed to pay for more inhumane detention centers, more warehouses, more suffering? The reality is stark. These choices are being funded by diverting resources away from the very programs our families need to thrive: health care, child care, mental health services, and housing.
At a time when our families are already struggling to keep up with rising costs, the Trump administration and Republican leaders in Congress are asking for even more funding for human rights abuses in the name of immigration enforcement, (and reckless wars!), despite the estimated $150 billion [17] ICE and Border Patrol have yet to expend from Trump’s Big Ugly Bill last year. [18] [19]
The result would be devastating: Billions more stripped from Americans’ health care at a moment when premiums are already skyrocketing and 15 million people are at risk of losing coverage altogether. [20]
Our tax dollars should be used to fund care instead of cruelty. We should be investing in the programs our families actually need: affordable health care, accessible child care, stable housing, and strong communities.
We need an immigration process that is safe and orderly, one that balances compassion and security. And we need a country where every child is safe, free, and able to thrive.
Sincerely,
Linda, Xochitl, Donna, and the whole MomsRising/MamásConPoder team.
Sources:
[1] The Children of Dilley | ProPublica
[2] Migrant families allege children held by ICE face unsafe and unsanitary conditions | PBS News
[3] Immigrant children at Texas detention facility face unsafe conditions, attorneys say | TexasTribune
[4] Two-month-old Dilley detainee Juan Niclas rushed to hospital with bronchitis | San Antonio Current
[7] What ICE Detention Does to a Child | The Cut
[8] Judge ordered 5-yeard-old released, but data shows ICE is detaining more kids | Washington Post
[10] Takeaways from AP's report on the ICE detention center holding children and parents | AP
[11]New Multimillion ICE Detention Network Sparks Local Backlash | Newsweek
[12]ICE’s Warehouse Purchases Herald New Model for Immigration Detention | American Immigration Council
[13]Two-year-old held by ICE sick and not getting adequate care, Democrat warns | The Guardian
[14] Deaths and Health Care Issues in ICE Detention Centers Under the Second Trump Administration | KFF
[17] DHS still has $150 billion to spend on Trump’s deportation campaign | MS Now
[18] Trump wants record-breaking military funding, domestic budget cuts | NJ Spotlight News
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