Lawyers: Nearly 600 Migrant Kids Held in Poor Conditions at Texas Center

Legal advocates report that almost 600 immigrant children were detained at a Texas facility without adequate food, medical care or mental health services. Court documents reveal dozens of children were held far beyond the 20-day legal limit, with some staying over 100 days.

Close to 600 immigrant children were detained at a Texas family holding center in recent months under inadequate conditions lacking proper food, healthcare and mental health support, with many staying well past legally mandated time limits, new court filings reveal.

The Dilley detention center, where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were housed earlier this year, experienced disease outbreaks and extended lockdowns during December and January, according to attorney reports and facility inspections. The total population of children at Dilley has decreased in recent weeks.

Young Ramos, who was spotted wearing a blue bunny hat when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents apprehended him in Minnesota, became a symbol of opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Fellow detainees organized demonstrations within Dilley’s fenced perimeter, displaying protest signs in the facility’s courtyard.

Approximately 85 children remained in custody at Dilley as of last week, but troubling circumstances persist, according to Mishan Wroe, directing attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, following her mid-March visit. A legal representative observed roughly 280 children during early February.

Court documents detailed heartbreaking individual situations, including a 13-year-old girl at Dilley who attempted suicide after personnel refused her prescribed antidepressants and rejected her plea to reunite with her mother, as documented by The Associated Press. Government records claimed there were “no placements on suicide watch,” the filing noted. The AP secured the girl’s Dilley release paperwork describing a “suicide attempt by cutting of wrist” and “self-harm.”

These documents were submitted as part of litigation initiated in 1985 that resulted in court-mandated oversight established in 1997 and ultimately created a 20-day custody limitation. The Trump administration is attempting to terminate the Flores agreement.

“For years, the Flores consent decree has been a tool of the left that is antithetical to the law and wastes valuable U.S. taxpayer funded resources,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. “Being in detention is a choice.”

Legal representatives for detainees emphasized government statistics revealing extended detention periods for immigrant children, while also documenting contaminated food containing worms and inadequate access to healthcare and legal representation as reported by families and facility monitors.

“Dilley remains a hellhole,” said Leecia Welch, the chief legal director at Children’s Rights, who visits Dilley regularly to ensure compliance. “Although the number of children has decreased, the suffering remains the same.”

The facility has been modified to accommodate families, providing basic needs including sufficient food and water during detention, while the Trump administration works to expedite deportations, the DHS spokesperson noted.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement data revealed approximately 595 immigrant children were detained beyond the 20-day threshold during December and January, with some cases extending for months, according to the filing.

“Approximately 265 of these children were detained for more than 50 days and a shocking 55 children were detained more than 100 days,” the filing stated.

This represents an increase from earlier government disclosures showing 400 children held at Dilley past the 20-day limit between August and September of last year. DHS has not responded to requests for comment regarding this data.

Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of the Central District of California has scheduled a hearing on this case for later this month.