1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to release the approximately 345 children currently detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas and to oppose the continuation of family detention policies that subject children to conditions amounting to torture. Recent investigative reporting has documented systematic abuse at this facility operated by CoreCivic under a $180 million annual contract. Children are housed in prison-like conditions with constant surveillance, overnight bed checks, guards patrolling halls where lights never turn off, and crowded dorm rooms with filthy bathrooms. Parents report finding worms and mold in food, with many children surviving primarily on crackers and juice because meals are inappropriate for young children. Medical neglect is rampant. One child with appendicitis collapsed in pain after being denied meaningful care and was offered only Tylenol. Two measles cases were recently confirmed at the facility, creating a public health crisis. Children receive no more than an hour of daily instruction consisting largely of worksheets and coloring pages, causing them to fall behind academically. The psychological damage is severe and well-documented. Children exhibit bedwetting, nightmares, weight loss, and developmental regression. Six-year-old Maria Vargas was accidentally struck in the eye with a mop by staff, causing ongoing vision problems. Officers allegedly threatened her parents with losing custody if they didn't abandon their visa application for human trafficking victims. After nearly two months at Dilley, the family was deported to Colombia in November. Since April, an estimated 1,800 children have passed through Dilley. Unlike previous policies, many are U.S. residents arrested at homes, schools, and courthouses rather than at the border. Families with pending immigration cases have historically been allowed to remain together outside detention through alternatives like ankle monitors, which are effective and humane. I urge you to publicly oppose family detention, demand the immediate release of children from Dilley, and support maintaining the Flores Settlement Agreement protections that the administration is attempting to overturn. These children deserve safety and dignity, not trauma that will affect them for life.