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5mo ago

Letters From Texas Family Detention Center Spur Scrutiny After Lawsuit Over Toddler's Illness

Newly published first‑person accounts are prompting fresh lawsuits alongside intensified oversight of the Texas family detention site.

A protester holds a sign reading "Protect Children / Don't Detain Them" as people gather during a demonstration and vigil outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, on January 28, 2026.
Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement as they march toward the South Texas Family Residential Center on January 28, 2026 in Dilley, Texas, after a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, who were arrested in Minneapolis after the father had picked the boy up from school. They were then taken to the South Texas Family Residential Center, an immigration detention center outside San Antonio, before being released two weeks later on a federal judge's order.
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Overview

  • ProPublica published handwritten letters and drawings from children at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center describing fear, sadness, missed school and repeated illness.
  • Reporting cites more than 750 families held at Dilley, with individual letters describing detentions lasting 50 days, 70 days and, in one case, more than 113 days.
  • A federal lawsuit says an 18‑month‑old was hospitalized for 10 days with pneumonia, COVID‑19, RSV and bronchitis, then returned to custody where ICE allegedly denied prescribed medications and confiscated her nutritional supplements.
  • ICE confirmed at least two measles cases at the facility as lawyers and detainees describe overcrowding, poor food and water quality, and disrupted sleep with lights on around the clock.
  • DHS and CoreCivic say detainees receive proper medical care, meals, education and multiple layers of oversight, even as attorneys and members of Congress press for releases and stronger monitoring.