1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action regarding the conditions at the immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, where ICE has been holding hundreds of children, many for months under conditions that violate basic human dignity and child welfare standards. Recent reports from families detained at this facility document disturbing conditions including worms found in food, inadequate medical care, and lights being kept on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These are not minor inconveniences but serious violations that harm children's physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation from constant lighting is a recognized form of psychological torture, and contaminated food poses immediate health risks. Children should never be subjected to prolonged detention under any circumstances, and the conditions at Dilley make an already harmful practice even more unconscionable. The extended detention periods reported, with many children held for months, compound the trauma these young people experience. Research consistently shows that detention causes lasting psychological harm to children, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I am asking you to take three specific actions. First, call for an immediate independent investigation into conditions at the Dilley detention center. Second, demand that ICE implement emergency measures to improve conditions immediately, including proper food safety protocols, adequate medical care, and humane lighting schedules. Third, advocate for the closure of this facility and the release of children to appropriate community-based alternatives that do not involve detention. These children are in federal custody, which means our government bears full responsibility for their safety and wellbeing. The current situation at Dilley is unacceptable and demands urgent congressional oversight. I need to know that you will use your position to protect these vulnerable children and hold ICE accountable for these reported abuses.