Nearly 600 migrant children have been held in a family detention center in Texas in recent months, without sufficient food, medical care or psychological support. Dozens of them remained there well beyond the limits set by the court, according to court documents filed Friday.
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Children and families imprisoned at the Dilley Detention Center, where five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were sent earlier this year, faced virus outbreaks and prolonged confinements in December and January, despite a decline in the overall number of children detained in recent weeks, according to the attorney’s reports and site visits.
The case of Liam Conejo Ramos, a preschooler who wore a blue toque with the image of a rabbit when he was stopped in Minnesota by the United States immigration police (ICE), has sparked protests against the restrictive immigration policies of the Trump administration. Inmates gathered and held signs in the courtyard inside Dilley’s fence.
PHOTO JOAQUIN CASTRO, PROVIDED BY ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Adrian Conejo Arias and his 5-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, upon their release from detention
As of last week, about 85 children were still detained at Dilley and concerning conditions persisted, said Mishan Wroe, managing attorney for the National Center for Youth Law, who visited the site in mid-March. In early February, a children’s rights activist observed around 280.
The filings detail numerous harrowing cases, including that of a 13-year-old girl detained at Dilley who attempted suicide after staff denied her prescribed antidepressants and her request to join her mother, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). The government reported that “no placement under suicide watch” had been made, according to the documents. The AP obtained Dilley’s young daughter’s discharge documents that describe a suicide attempt.
These documents were filed as part of a lawsuit filed in 1985, which resulted in judicial review of the standards in 1997 and ultimately set a 20-day limit on detention. The Trump administration is seeking to end the Flores deal.
“For years, the Flores Consent Decree has been a tool of the left, against the law and a waste of valuable resources funded by American taxpayers,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Being detained is a choice. »
Lawyers for the detainees highlighted government data showing longer detention periods for migrant children. They also cited the presence of worms in food and a lack of access to medical care and adequate legal assistance, as reported by families and observers in federal detention centers.
“Dilley remains a living hell,” said Leecia Welch, legal director of Children’s Rights, who regularly visits Dilley to ensure compliance. “Although the number of children has decreased, their suffering remains the same. »
The Dilley facility has been redeveloped to accommodate families, who are provided with essentials, including adequate food and hydration while in detention, and the Trump administration is working to expel detainees quickly, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson added.
An ICE report found that about 595 migrant children were detained for more than 20 days, the legal limit, in December and January, some for several months, according to the document.
“Approximately 265 of these children were detained for more than 50 days and, alarmingly, 55 children were detained for more than 100 days,” the document states.
That figure is up from government reporting late last year, which indicated that between August and September, 400 children were held at Dilley beyond the 20-day limit. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment regarding this data.
Judge Dolly Gee, presiding judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, is scheduled to review the case later this month.
