Lawmakers Push for Closure of Texas Family Detention Facility
Democrats urge DHS to shut down – More than 110 Democratic representatives in Congress, led by Representative Joaquin Castro, have formally requested that the Department of Homeland Security close the Dilley Immigration Processing Center located in Texas. The correspondence was addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and was initially secured by ABC News. This particular facility holds the distinction of being the sole family detention center operating within the United States. It had been shut down during the Biden presidency but was brought back into service last year as part of broader immigration enforcement efforts under the Trump administration.
Conditions Inside the Facility
The congressional letter highlights numerous complaints from families who have experienced detention at Dilley. According to the document, both former and current detainees report difficult circumstances maintained by CoreCivic, the private contractor managing the center, alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These conditions allegedly work to diminish personal dignity and create feelings of despair among those held there.
There is no humane way to imprison a child and their family. It is nothing more than a trailer prison that detains families. In fact, the Dilley facility is the only place in the United States dedicated to detaining families with children who have not been charged with a crime.
Parents have characterized the environment as having “horrendous conditions.” Specific complaints include food items contaminated with mold and worms, drinking water that causes illness, and continuous lighting throughout the night. Additionally, insufficient educational and medical services have reportedly contributed to severe depression, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts among detained children.
Medical attention is frequently delayed or denied entirely. The letter describes one case where a young boy endured several days of intense stomach pain before being transported to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed appendicitis requiring surgical intervention. Such incidents illustrate broader concerns about emergency care accessibility.
Previous Reports and DHS Response
Immigrant rights advocates, healthcare workers, and elected officials have voiced worries about the South Texas location on multiple occasions. A photograph from June 27, 2026, shows origami cranes attached to fencing outside the South Texas Family Residential Center, captured by Joel Angel Juarez for Reuters.
In February, ABC News spoke with a couple whose one-year-old daughter contracted both COVID-19 and RSV during a sixty-day stay at Dilley. The family claimed medical personnel failed to properly address their child’s symptoms.
Representative Castro also expressed concern regarding a two-month-old infant he met while visiting another family at the facility that same month. Meanwhile, Dr. Sean Conley, the top medical official within the Department of Homeland Security, publicly rejected claims that detainees receive inadequate treatment.
These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE. It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, women’s health, mental health services, any needed follow up medical appointments, as well as 24-hour emergency care.
Dr. Conley further stated that the care provided represents an improvement over what many immigrants experience throughout their lives.
Broader Political Context
A DHS spokesperson criticized Democratic lawmakers for overlooking what they describe as a humanitarian crisis stemming from open border policies implemented over the previous four years. The spokesperson questioned whether representatives would address the psychiatric effects on tens of thousands of children smuggled across the border, many by human and sex trafficking organizations.
Advocates continue to emphasize that children are being held in immigration custody beyond permitted timeframes. Efforts to rescue trafficking victims have intensified through collaboration with state and local law enforcement agencies. President Trump and the DHS maintain their focus on child protection and family reunification initiatives.
