Rep. Joaquin Castro Slams ICE "Prison" Where Children as Young as 2 Months Old Are Held

Representative Castro describes the Dilly, Texas ICE facility as a 'trailer prison' where 2,000 individuals are held, none of whom have committed a crime. He notes that rooms house up to 12 people, movements are controlled by cameras, and personal belongings are inventoried upon entry. The most shocking revelation was the presence of a two-month-old baby among the detainees. Children like 5-year-old Liam Ramos exhibit signs of trauma, including poor eating habits, excessive sleeping, and despondency.

Castro's visits to Dilly in late January and again to help release Liam Ramos and his father. He states, 'There are 2,000 people there and none of them have committed any crime... he told me eventually that it was a two-month old baby who was in basically that trailer prison.'

A significant number of people detained at Dilly had used the CBP-1 app, which was designed to be an 'orderly and efficient way' to apply for asylum and enter the U.S. Despite following government advice, these individuals are 'shell shocked' to find themselves in a 'trailer prison' and on the verge of deportation. The Trump administration, for instance, filed for the expedited deportation of Liam Ramos and his family, even after their release and pending asylum case.

Castro states, 'There were a big chunk of people who had used that app, for example. And so you have a lot of people who did things the right way and now are shell shocked to find themselves in a trailer prison... and on the verge of being deported even though they followed the government's advice.' He also mentions the Trump administration's attempt to deport Liam Ramos and his family again.

Contrary to the perception of a funding crisis, the Department of Homeland Security recently received an additional $150 billion, with ICE specifically getting an extra $75 billion beyond its annual budget. Castro argues that money is 'not an issue' for ICE. He criticizes ICE's 'lawlessness,' citing instances of agents barging into homes and businesses without warrants, roughing people up, and being responsible for two fatal shootings in Minneapolis. He asserts that Congress cannot continue funding an agency operating 'beyond the law.'

Castro states, 'The Department of Homeland Security got $150 billion extra dollars above and beyond their annual budget. ICE by itself got $75 billion extra money.' He adds, 'We can't act like it's business as usual and continue funding them with their annual budget when they're operating beyond the law.'