House Democrats Demand Shutdown of ICE’s Dilley Detention Center Amid Inhumane Conditions

At a joint press conference, House Democrats led by Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) slammed the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, spotlighting the Dilley Immigration Processing Center as a symbol of systemic abuse. The facility, run by private contractor CoreCivic, currently houses children and families under conditions described as “cruel and inhumane” by multiple lawmakers.

Zaira Garcia, Regional Government Relations Director at FWD.us, opened the event by highlighting the administration’s relentless push for more funding to expand ICE detention capacity. “Any additional money from Congress to ICE is simply a blank check to significantly expand detention beds to incarcerate more children and adults – perpetuating the well-documented harm of incarceration,” Garcia said. This funding spree, she warned, will only deepen the trauma inflicted on vulnerable families.

Rep. Joaquin Castro shared a harrowing account from his visit to the Dilley facility where he met the Uzategui-Labrador family. “The 5th and 2nd grader miss their father, teachers, and classmates. They are among the many children and families being locked away without proper access to medical care, food, and education,” Castro said. “It’s cruel and inhumane to lock these children and families up. Together, we will shut down Dilley and free our children.”

Other members echoed the call for closure. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) condemned the detention center as a “baby jail” where women with no criminal history suffer neglect and are denied basic hygiene and medical care. She pointed out that taxpayers are shelling out over $1,000 daily per detainee while private contractors rake in profits from this misery.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) emphasized the immorality of CoreCivic’s $15 million monthly take from detaining families at Dilley. “Families do not belong in detention. Children do not belong in detention,” she said bluntly.

Rep. Christian Menefee (TX-18) stressed the importance of congressional oversight as a constitutional duty. After witnessing “heartbreaking conditions” and “painful firsthand accounts,” Menefee vowed to continue pressing for transparency and accountability. “What Trump’s ICE is doing...is a stain on this country. I will keep coming back, keep speaking out, and keep fighting until this facility is shut down for good.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) also shared their condemnation. Takano drew a chilling parallel between Dilley and the Japanese American incarceration camps of his parents’ generation, underscoring the shame of detaining law-abiding families indefinitely behind barbed wire.

The press conference not only exposed the ongoing brutality of ICE raids but also demanded a halt to further hiring and expansion of detention facilities. The coalition’s message was clear: incarcerating families and children is a policy failure that must end now.

For those who want to hear the full remarks, a recording of the press conference is available here.

This is yet another chapter in the Trump administration’s relentless assault on immigrant families, turning taxpayer dollars into profits for private prison companies while inflicting lasting harm on children. We will keep tracking these abuses and pushing for accountability until these cages are empty.