The recent detention of a 5-year-old Minneapolis boy and his father at a Texas immigration facility reflects a broader pattern affecting hundreds of families nationwide.
The Dilley Immigration Processing Center, located approximately 75 miles south of San Antonio, has housed numerous children alongside their parents, with some families remaining in custody for several months. Department of Homeland Security officials have vigorously defended the facility’s care standards and conditions.
An Associated Press investigation reveals significant findings about how intensified immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has affected daily life within the detention center.
During the initial nine months of the Trump presidency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processed over 3,800 children through detention facilities, based on AP’s examination of University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project statistics.
Daily averages showed more than 220 children in custody, with the majority of those held beyond 24 hours transferred to Dilley. The AP’s analysis revealed that children comprised more than half of all Dilley detainees during the Trump administration’s early period.
Following its reopening last spring, Dilley’s population has increased dramatically, housing over 1,300 individuals by late January, researchers report. Almost two-thirds of children detained by ICE during the Trump administration’s initial months were ultimately deported.
Federal authorities are keeping numerous children at Dilley far beyond the 20-day maximum established by existing court orders.
“We’ve started to use 100 days as a benchmark because so many children are exceeding 20 days,” explained Leecia Welch, chief legal director at Children’s Rights, who conducts regular compliance visits to Dilley. During her most recent visit this month, Welch documented over 30 children who had been detained for more than 100 days.
When the Obama administration established Dilley in 2014, virtually all detained families had recently entered from Mexico.
However, many current detainees have resided in the United States for multiple years, according to attorneys and observers, resulting in children being separated from familiar environments including schools, communities, and their support networks.
Families have described difficult circumstances within Dilley, sharing experiences that challenge claims about adequate care quality.
One mother told the AP that her 13-year-old daughter harmed herself with a plastic utensil after staff members withheld her prescribed antidepressant medication and refused her request to stay with her mother nearby.
Another parent reported that when her 1-year-old developed high fever and vomiting, medical personnel repeatedly provided only acetaminophen and ibuprofen before the child was finally hospitalized for bronchitis, pneumonia, and stomach infections. ICE challenged this account, stating the infant “immediately received proper care.”
Additional families cited common issues including children’s sleep difficulties in rooms where lighting remains constant throughout the night, and digestive problems from contaminated drinking water.
Both parents and children have expressed feeling overwhelmed by the stress of detention, leading many to experience despair.
DHS did not provide responses to the AP’s detailed inquiries about Dilley. However, both DHS and ICE issued strong rebuttals this week regarding allegations of substandard care and conditions.
“The Dilley facility is a family residential center designed specifically to house family units in a safe, structured and appropriate environment,” stated ICE Director Todd M. Lyons.
According to ICE, Dilley offers medical evaluations and infant care supplies, along with educational facilities and recreation areas.
At full capacity, Dilley is projected to produce approximately $180 million yearly for CoreCivic, the private prison corporation operating under ICE contract, based on the company’s recent regulatory filings.
Responding to AP questions, a CoreCivic representative stated that no Dilley child “has been denied medical treatment or experienced a delayed medical assessment.” The corporation emphasized that detainees receive thorough care from medical and mental health specialists.
The expansion of family detention coincides with the Trump administration’s elimination of an office previously responsible for monitoring conditions at Dilley and similar facilities.
Previous investigations identified problems at Dilley, including persistent understaffing and failure to address detention-related trauma.
A specialized committee had recommended ending family detention except in unusual circumstances, and the Biden administration started eliminating the practice in 2021. Dilley closed in 2024, but the Trump administration’s reopening represents a complete policy reversal.
