"Let Us Out": ICE's Detention of Children Sparks Protests at TX Immigration Jail
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Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Two protesters were arrested outside ICE's South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilly, Texas, where children are detained.
- ❖5-year-old Liam Ramos, a legal asylum seeker, was detained with his father after coming home from preschool, showing signs of depression and lethargy.
- ❖Texas Democratic Congress member Joaquin Castro visited Liam and his father, advocating for their immediate release.
- ❖Hundreds of detained immigrant families inside Dilly held a protest, demanding the release of children and shouting 'Let us out.'
- ❖Immigration attorney Eric Lee criticized the Democratic Party for its role in creating and maintaining the mass detention infrastructure, stating it's 'as equally responsible as Trump.'
- ❖Conditions inside Dilly are described as 'abysmal,' 'horrific,' and 'unimaginable,' with issues like lack of medical care, poor food quality, and no educational resources.
- ❖Families, including those with breastfeeding infants, face water that smells bad and guards who tell them to 'give up your case' to end detention.
- ❖The Flores settlement, which limits child detention to 20 days, is often circumvented, with some families detained for over eight months.
- ❖An immigration judge denied bond to a 5-year-old child due to a 'lack of property and assets,' illustrating systemic issues.
- ❖Children in detention experience nightmares and long-term psychological trauma, described as a 'deliberate policy to ruin these children's lives.'
- ❖The 18-year-old daughter of one client was separated from her family, denied visitation and religious accommodations for speaking to the media.
- ❖Families are often arrested at essential community institutions like hospitals, turning attempts to seek help into 'traps.'
- ❖Dilly and Karnes are currently the only immigrant detention centers in the country holding children and their parents, with a third in Pennsylvania recently closed due to community pressure.
Insights
1Abysmal Conditions and Psychological Trauma in Detention
Detained children, like 5-year-old Liam Ramos, exhibit severe depression, lethargy, and sleep disturbances, asking for their families and school. Attorney Eric Lee's client, a 5-year-old girl, drew stick figures in a cage and reported nightmares of being chased and unable to escape. Javier Adalgo of RAICES described conditions as 'worse than any jail,' with inadequate food (bugs/worms, half-frozen), foul-smelling water for formula, constant medical neglect, and guards yelling at parents. Children receive only coloring packets, lacking proper educational resources, despite some having been in community schools prior to detention.
Liam's father reported Liam was 'very depressed,' 'hasn't been eating well,' and 'seemed lethargic' (). Eric Lee described a 5-year-old's drawing of 'stick figures in a cage' and her nightmares (). Javier Adalgo detailed 'lack of medical care,' 'food with bug like bugs or worms in it,' and 'half frozen food' (, ).
2Bipartisan Responsibility for Detention Infrastructure
Eric Lee argues that the Democratic Party is 'as equally responsible as Trump' for creating and maintaining the 'infrastructure of mass, family, and adult detention.' He points out that the Dilly facility was opened by the Obama administration in 2014 and kept open by the Biden administration for years. Lee views Democratic press conferences and 'photo ops' as performative, leading to no real change, and advocates for the protest movement to remain '100 miles away from the Democratic party' to achieve meaningful results.
Eric Lee states, 'Dilly was opened by the Obama administration in 2014' and 'The Biden administration kept it open' (). He asserts, 'the Democratic Party is as equally responsible as Trump for creating the infrastructure of mass, family, and adult detention' ().
3Circumvention of Legal Protections and Persecution
The Flores settlement, which mandates that children should not be detained longer than 20 days, is frequently ignored, with some families held for over eight months. ICE takes the position that these protections 'don't actually apply.' Eric Lee highlighted a case where a family was denied bond because an immigration judge cited a 'lack of property and assets' for a 5-year-old child. He also described the persecution of a family whose relative carried out an attack, with the White House calling for their illegal deportation, framing it as punishment for actions 'somebody else did,' which he likened to 'police state dictatorships.'
Eric Lee's clients, 5-year-old twins, have been detained for 'over eight months' (). Javier Adalgo noted that ICE 'taken a position that they don't actually apply' Flores protections (). Lee mentioned an immigration judge denying bond to a 5-year-old due to 'lack of property and assets' ().
Lessons
- Support and participate in protest movements demanding the closure of family detention centers, focusing on independent action rather than relying solely on political parties.
- Advocate for the codification of protections for detained children and families into law, as the current Flores settlement is inadequate and often ignored.
- Raise awareness about the bipartisan responsibility for the current state of immigration detention, challenging narratives that place blame on only one political administration.
Notable Moments
Detained families inside the Dilly facility staged a protest, shouting 'Let us out.'
This internal protest demonstrates the desperation and collective resistance of the detained individuals, providing a direct voice from within the facility.
A 5-year-old detained girl drew stick figures in a cage and reported having nightmares of being chased and unable to escape.
This moment vividly illustrates the profound psychological impact of detention on young children, making the abstract concept of 'abysmal conditions' deeply personal and disturbing.
Quotes
"The Democratic Party is as equally responsible as Trump for creating the infrastructure of mass, family, and adult detention in this country."
"Every day the guards there are saying, 'Well, if you want this to end, just give up your case.'"
"A child, a 5-year-old child is in detention in this country because of a lack of property and assets. That's how the immigration system works in this country."
"This is a deliberate policy to ruin these children's lives. They will never fully recover."
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