Dozens of immigrant families staged a protest Saturday outside a detention facility in Texas. They were there for a five-year-old boy from Ecuador and his father, recently detained in Minnesota.
Images from the scene showed families wrapped in jackets, holding signs that read “Libertad para los niños” or “Liberty for the kids.” The atmosphere was charged with chants of “Libertad!” which means “Let us go.” Eric Lee, an immigration attorney visiting clients at the center in Dilley, shared his experience, highlighting the urgency of their message: immigrants deserve dignity and should not be treated like criminals.
Maria Alejandra Montoya Sanchez, 31, who has been held there with her daughter since October, echoed these sentiments. “We want to be treated according to the law,” she stated.
The facility abruptly kicked out visitors on Saturday, raising alarms among attorneys like Lee. Shortly after being asked to leave, he received a call from a client there, reporting that detainees had begun protesting their conditions, particularly for young Liam Conejo Ramos and others like him.
“What I heard were guards sounding scared, urging everyone to leave right away,” Lee recounted, capturing the tense atmosphere.
Ramos, who was detained along with his father, became a focal point of this situation after family members claimed he was used as bait by federal agents in Minnesota. The government denied these claims.
That same day, a federal immigration officer fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, illustrating the rising tensions around immigration enforcement in the U.S. Such incidents have sparked protests across the country, including in Texas.
Inside the facility, children were chanting for freedom. Lee captured a moment on social media, sharing a video that showed detainees yearning for support to be freed. “They see this as part of a larger protest for help,” he added.
The South Texas Family Residential Center, built in 2014, is now the only family detention center in the U.S. After it shut down in 2024 under President Biden’s administration, it reopened when Donald Trump returned to office last year. Concerns about the facility’s safety have surfaced over the years. Attorneys have flagged issues like unsafe water and inadequate medical attention.
“Conditions at Dilley are unsafe, especially for children,” said Neha Desai from the National Center for Youth Law. “Families are enduring harsh treatment and long periods of custody.”
Historically, this detention center has been under scrutiny, especially following protests against the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies. These policies led to the separation of families, evoking a national outcry and drawing attention to the requirements of the Flores Settlement Agreement, which mandates humane treatment of children in detention.
Texas has played a significant role in the ongoing immigration debate. In recent years, it’s become a hotspot for ICE arrests, with over 3,000 undocumented immigrants collared by state officials in 2025 alone. Alarmingly, four deaths in ICE facilities have been reported in just two months, highlighting the urgent need for reform in immigration practices.
As activism continues, the plight of those trapped in facilities like Dilley remains in the spotlight, urging society to reconsider how we handle immigration and the treatment of families seeking safety.
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