For Immediate Release

LOS ANGELES — A brief filed Friday by lawyers representing immigrant children in the seminal Flores v. Bondi case describes the grim and unsafe conditions that persist at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas (Dilley). In recent months, children have experienced crushing lengths of stay, an epidemic of illnesses, and harsh treatment at the hands of guards. As a result, children and their families report struggling with depression, anxiety and other debilitating mental health conditions.  

Plaintiffs filed their brief in response to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Juvenile Coordinator’s report submitted to U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee, who oversees the Flores case. The ICE report includes data showing an alarming increase in detention time at Dilley in December and January – with nearly 600 children in detention for over 20 days, 121 children detained for over 50 days, and 38 children languishing in detention for over 100 days. 

The Flores Settlement Agreement requires the federal government to treat children in immigration custody humanely, hold them in the least restrictive settings, prioritize release to family, and provide access to basic necessities such as clean water, food, medical care, and safe, sanitary living conditions. The Flores co-counsel team includes the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, the National Center for Youth Law, and Children’s Rights.

ICE’s report states that from November 2025 through February 2026 there were no critical incidents, hospitalizations, or lockdowns, and that Dilley is in full compliance with the Flores settlement agreement. Plaintiffs submitted voluminous evidence that contradicts these statements.

In January and February, after the high-profile detention of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos resulted in increased media attention and public outcry, officials instituted harsher operational restrictions — leaving children and families at Dilley feeling even more like prisoners. Families consistently reported aggressive room sweeps, lockdowns, and retaliation for filing grievances or talking to reporters. One mother told Plaintiffs’ attorneys that her two-year-old’s crayons were confiscated during a room sweep and staff said it was “for our security and so the children would not write more letters about the conditions at Dilley.” Another mother said that Dilley staff searched their room and “even tore up letters that I had written to the pastor” and “a drawing my daughter had made of Bratz dolls.”

In March, there was a drop in the number of families and children detained at Dilley, and on a recent site visit counsel observed some improvements in the education services offered. But Plaintiffs’ response to ICE’s report makes clear that children continue to suffer at Dilley. 

Plaintiffs’ brief documents the overwhelming number of heartbreaking stories told by children and their families. Dozens of declarations provide first-hand accounts of contentious and verbally abusive staff, poor medical care, inadequate nutrition, sleep deprivation, and lack of meaningful activities for children. Families consistently report that their children are hungry, exhausted, perpetually sick, and despondent from the conditions of confinement at Dilley. 

• A 16-year-old told Plaintiffs’ counsel he had started “having panic attacks” from detention at Dilley and that he had “gotten sick seven times” and “you basically have to be dying to see a doctor at this place.”  
• A 13-year-old said: “I feel lucky I have only suffered from vomiting and diarrhea from the food, because so many other kids have had more intense issues. I have seen newborn babies here with bronchitis because ICE does not provide enough medical care for people who are sick.” He further stated: “Every day that I remain here is destroying my hope for my life.”
• A mother reported that “Our two-month-old is taking formula here with the water from the sink, and it is giving him diarrhea all the time.”   Another mother said: “Regarding the food here, it’s horrible. My two-year-old and one-year-old cannot even eat the food here, let alone my baby.” She further stated: “We feel as if we’re animals at the zoo.”

Families also report concerning medical issues including: a 10-year-old child with Hirschsprung’s disease who lacked proper medical care and diet resulting in no bowel movements for over a month; an 18-month old baby who ended up in the hospital for 10 days when her oxygen levels plunged to a life-threatening level; a nine-year-old girl who left scratch marks across her entire body due to allergies when no special diet was provided; and a two-year-old who had an untreated tooth infection and gum abscess that resulted in constant crying, pain, and a fever for over 23 days. 

The Juvenile Coordinator’s Report belies the true experience of children held at Dilley and does not reflect the traumatizing nature of imprisonment. The dangerous conditions families continue to endure, as well as the inconsistency of time in custody, are of grave concern and warrant careful ongoing monitoring. 

“It is a question of ‘when’ — not ‘if’ — a child will perish as a result of the inhumane conditions at Dilley,” said Sergio Perez, Executive Director at the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. “The conditions are simply indefensible, and we are sounding the alarms that urgent action must be taken to prevent lifelong pain and the loss of life should they continue.”

“There is simply no legitimate reason to detain children at Dilley,” said Mishan Wroe, Directing Attorney at the National Center for Youth Law. “Children have been ripped from their schools and communities and left to languish in a place that cannot meet their basic needs. It’s despicable.”

“Since Dilley re-opened in April 2025, hundreds of children have been denied their most basic human rights,” said Leecia Welch, Chief Legal Counsel at Children’s Rights. “While the number of children incarcerated has decreased in recent weeks, the suffering has not. Dilley remains a prison – robbing countless children of their childhoods. Even one child incarcerated there is too many.”

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The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) is a legal non-profit committed to protecting and advancing the rights of immigrants through legal action, advocacy, and education. Through impact litigation, we challenge unlawful immigration policies to drive systemic change and establish stronger legal protections for immigrants. At the local, state, and federal levels, we advocate for fair and humane policies that uphold the rights of all immigrants. For more information, please visit centerforhumanrights.org.

The National Center for Youth Law centers youth through research, community collaboration, impact litigation, and policy advocacy that fundamentally transforms our nation’s approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice. Our vision is a world in which every child thrives and has a full and fair opportunity to achieve the future they envision for themselves.

Children’s Rights is a national advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of children living in or impacted by America’s child welfare, juvenile legal, immigration, education, and healthcare systems. We use civil rights impact litigation, advocacy and policy expertise, and public education to hold governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. Our work centers on creating lasting systemic change that will advance the rights of children for generations. For more information, please visit childrensrights.org.