Nearly 600 immigrant children were held at a family detention centre in Texas in recent months in conditions lacking adequate food, medical care, and mental health services, according to court documents filed on Friday. Dozens of children were kept beyond the court-mandated 20-day limit, with some detained for over 100 days.
The Dilley facility, where five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were sent earlier this year, experienced virus outbreaks and prolonged lockdowns in December and January. Although the number of children held has decreased to around 85 last week, concerning conditions persist, said Mishan Wroe, directing attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, who visited in March.
The filings cite cases including a 13-year-old girl who attempted suicide after staff withheld prescribed antidepressants and denied her request to join her mother. The government reported no placements on suicide watch, but the girl's discharge documents described a suicide attempt by wrist cutting and self-harm.
The documents were submitted in a 1985 lawsuit that led to the 1997 Flores settlement, which established the 20-day custody limit. The Trump administration seeks to end the agreement, with the Department of Homeland Security stating that detention is a choice and the settlement wastes resources.
Attorneys highlighted government data showing longer custody times, with 595 children held beyond 20 days in December and January, 265 for more than 50 days, and 55 for over 100 days. Reports also mentioned worms in food and poor access to medical care and legal counsel.
Leecia Welch, chief legal director at Children's Rights, described Dilley as a hellhole where suffering persists despite fewer children. A DHS spokesperson said the facility provides basic necessities and the administration is working to deport detainees quickly. A hearing is scheduled later this month before Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee.
