Kids trapped in Texas immigration facility recount inedible food, no school, nightmares
The psychological toll can be just as serious. During a recent visit, Lee said, a 5-year-old girl described a recurring nightmare: A large animal is chasing her, but she can’t outrun it because she’s trapped in a cage.
She and her siblings “wake up crying for their mother every night because they fear being separated from her,” Lee said.
Lawyers representing the detainees say the prolonged imprisonment in harsh conditions — coupled with repeated warnings about family separation — is intended to coerce the parents into abandoning their pending asylum applications, which could allow them to remain in the United States.
DHS is telling detained families, ‘Well, if you want this to stop, agree to give up your case,'” said Javier Hidalgo, legal director of RAICES, which provides legal support to immigrant families in Texas, including Dilley. “We’ve heard this over and over again.”
Kelly Vargas said she and her husband felt that pressure as soon as they arrived in Dilley with their daughter Maria.
The family arrived in the United States in 2022 after fleeing Colombia and settling in New York, where they spoke regularly with immigration officials. They had applied for a special visa for victims of human trafficking, saying they were subjected to forced labor and death threats as they crossed into Mexico.
After being arrested during a September check-in and sent to Dilley, Vargas said, agents repeatedly pressured her and her husband to drop their visa applications.
“He told us that if we didn’t deport, they would take our daughter,” she said. “Our daughter would be in state custody, where even our lawyers would not know where she is. »
At first, Vargas said, she and her husband resisted, determined to fight for the life they had built for themselves in New York, where he worked construction during the day and she worked as a waitress and housekeeper at night. They first told Maria that they were vacationing in Texas, but the girl knew better. She would get on her knees and beg to go home to see her cat, Milo. Sometimes, Vargas said, she screamed so intensely that even staff members seemed shaken.
“Get me out of here,” she cried. “I want to leave.”
Maria’s health deteriorated quickly, Vargas said. She developed a persistent cough and had difficulty eating, losing weight as the days passed. Then, Vargas said, a staff member who was cleaning accidentally hit her daughter in the eye with a mop, drawing blood.
Despite her daughter’s persistent complaints of blurred vision, light sensitivity and hearing problems, Vargas said, doctors dismissed her concerns and delayed further evaluation.
With her daughter sick, Vargas said, she and her husband finally agreed to leave.
They were deported to Colombia in November.
Healing from the ordeal took longer, Vargas said. Maria still has vision problems and headaches. The sweet girl who loved her teacher and played with Barbies is now fearful and withdrawn, often talking about her weeks in Texas and the workers who looked after her.
As soon as she sees a police officer, she tenses up.
“They’re the bad guys,” she said.
