December 9, 2025
Immigrant families held at a detention facility in Texas describe prolonged stays, despondent children, limited access to potable water and agents offering money for families to voluntarily leave the country, according to new court declarations filed early Tuesday morning.
The filings paint a portrait of the inside of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility where, as of November, there were around 160 families who had either crossed the US-Mexico border or been picked up by authorities in the United States as part of the administration’s sweeping crackdown.
“When we were at Dilley a few weeks ago, conditions of confinement and treatment of families appear to have worsened with families reporting horrific concerns, such as denial of critical medical care, worms and mold in the food that result in children becoming ill, and threats of family separation by officers and staff,” said Leecia Welch, deputy litigation director at Children’s Rights.
“Families tell us that their children are weak, faint, pale and often crying because they are so hungry,” she added.