Harrowing 911 Calls from ICE Detention Centre Reveal Children in Medical Distress
Emergency crews have been dispatched to a sprawling immigration detention centre holding immigrant families with young children nearly a dozen times over the last six months, according to newly reviewed 911 call logs. Staff at the Dilley Immigration Processing Centre in rural Texas have dialled 911 to report children suffering from severe fever, broken bones, respiratory distress, seizures, and plunging oxygen levels, alongside other medical emergencies.
Children Transferred to Hospital for Life-Threatening Conditions
In at least three documented cases, children were transferred more than an hour away to a paediatric hospital in San Antonio equipped to treat complex or life-threatening conditions. The call logs, reviewed by NBC News and ProPublica, include reports of a pregnant woman who passed out and multiple infants requiring urgent medical attention. This follows growing scrutiny into conditions at the family detention centre, a fenced-in facility run by private prison firm CoreCivic roughly 70 miles south of San Antonio.
Specific Cases Highlight Systemic Issues
Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old from Minnesota, was detained with his father last month after their arrest in suburban Minneapolis. Liam grew ill and became lethargic in custody, according to his father and members of Congress who visited the family. Additionally, a two-year-old girl was hospitalised after her parents say she was denied medicine as her health rapidly deteriorated at the facility. Last month, a two-month-old boy with bronchitis was deported to Mexico with his mother and sister shortly after being released from a hospital during their stint at Dilley.
Measles Outbreak and Rising Detainee Numbers
ICE confirmed at least two measles cases inside the facility last month after lawyers raised alarms over a potential outbreak and a wave of reported illnesses among children. The number of people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody has exploded since Trump returned to the White House, with more than 60,000 people held at any given point nationwide. Although the federal government does not publicly disclose information about children in immigration custody, data from advocacy groups suggests a growing number of detainees are children.
Historical Context and Facility Operations
The compound first opened during Barack Obama’s administration to support families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, though Joe Biden’s administration stopped holding families there in 2021. President Donald Trump’s administration reopened the facility as law enforcement agencies began pursuing immigrants with families living in the country’s interior. In a statement to NBC News, a CoreCivic spokesperson said no child "has been denied medical treatment or experienced a delayed medical assessment."
Official Responses and Legal Challenges
Homeland Security officials have repeatedly defended medical care provided to detained immigrants. ICE stated this week that the agency provides "the best healthcare illegal aliens have received in their entire lives" in most cases. The agency’s acting director Todd Lyons said the facility is "designed specifically to house family units together in a safe, structured and appropriate environment." However, attorneys representing the family of 18-month-old Amalia, who was hospitalised for 10 days with life-threatening respiratory illnesses, called her detention "outrageous." Staff allegedly withheld her medication after returning her to the facility, according to lawyers.
Broader Implications and Calls for Action
Elora Mukherjee, director of Columbia Law School’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, emphasised the risks, stating, "ICE continued to detain Baby Amalia during a measles outbreak and in a setting where she was exposed to other infectious viruses. Hundreds of children and families remain detained and at risk at Dilley. This is unconscionable." She added, "Detaining immigrant children in inhumane and degrading conditions is illegal, unconstitutional, and un-American. Children and families at Dilley must be released." The situation underscores ongoing debates over immigration policy and the treatment of vulnerable populations in detention centres.
