By John Q. Hosedrinker 
In Dilley, Texas, detainees, including young children, protested conditions at the detention center, sparked by a general strike in Minneapolis. Attorneys Eric Lee and Sam Doiron witnessed and described the conditions, including unsanitary living conditions and separation of families. The attorneys also highlighted the difficulties in tracking detained individuals and the potential for retribution against those who speak out. The facility, which had been closed, reopened, raising concerns about potential growth and the ongoing challenges faced by families held in immigration detention.
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Inside the Dilley Detention Facility Where 5-year-old Liam Conejo-Ramos is Being Held, the world is focused on a stark reality. The story of Liam and his detention has resonated globally, sparking protests, including one that apparently reached the very walls of the Dilley facility in Texas where he and his father are being held.
Inside the Dilley Detention Facility, a different kind of reality is revealed through the experiences of others, like the El Gamal family. They’ve been detained for eight months. Consider this: their twins turned five while incarcerated, having spent a fifth of their young lives behind bars. Their story, alongside the stories of a nine-year-old, a 16-year-old, an 18-year-old, and their mother, paints a picture of prolonged detention and its impact on children.
The conditions at Dilley, as described by those who have witnessed them firsthand, are simply appalling. The food can contain insects, the water used to mix baby formula is reportedly unsanitary, and the guards are often verbally abusive. One account details a client suffering from appendicitis, collapsing and vomiting in the hallway, yet receiving only a Tylenol as a response.
The legal system seems to compound the suffering. Consider the El Gamal family again: an immigration judge denied them bond, citing a lack of property and assets as a flight risk. How can a child, especially a five-year-old, possess property and assets? This raises a critical question about the fairness and logic of the legal process within these facilities.
From firsthand accounts and personal observations, the conditions inside the facility are harrowing. Volunteers report seeing a woman suffering seizures on a concrete floor, with guards preventing any assistance. Afterwards, no medical treatment was provided. Another volunteer witnessed a toddler with a high fever, unable to open his eyes or swallow liquids, receiving only Vicks VapoRub for care.
The food, in these reports, is often of poor nutritional value and sometimes rotten. The lights are kept on 24/7, and the temperature is kept so cold that even the guards wear jackets and long sleeves, while the detained mothers and children are left with only thin T-shirts. These details paint a picture of deliberate disregard for human dignity and well-being.
The struggle to bring attention to these conditions has been long and arduous. Even when a senator attempted to investigate, access was denied. Volunteers, and others who worked with pro bono organizations, spent years trying to get the press to cover these atrocities. The lack of coverage is disappointing and concerning.
The appointment of immigration judges is also a concerning point. With the changes in our immigration courts, many feel that increasingly cruel decisions are coming out of our court system. These judges are being hired with little to no immigration experience and are hired for their loyalty.
Adding to the issue is the involvement of private detention companies, like CoreCivic. CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, has a history in the immigrant detention business and has donated money to those in positions of power. The very nature of for-profit detention raises serious ethical questions. There is also the fact that they are building more detention centers instead of working towards deporting those they detain.
The cruelty described extends beyond the walls of the facility. The guards, in some accounts, are said to use methods to inflict harm without leaving visible bruises. If such treatment is meted out in the open, what horrors happen behind closed doors?
The detention of families and children at Dilley, and facilities like it, is part of a larger issue. When children are separated from their parents and held in these conditions, they have essentially been trafficked. There are over 1000 detainees. The average age is five years old. It makes one question what kind of society we are becoming. The focus should be on how to provide a better life and not tear families apart.