Voices From Dilley: The Stolen Ordinary of Detained Children
In 2026, the "ordinary" lives of immigrant children are being systematically dismantled.
After family detention was largely phased out in 2021, the second Trump administration has revived the practice, resulting in a tenfold increase in the number of children held in ICE custody.
From the high-security gates of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, mothers and children report a harrowing reality of medical neglect, psychological trauma and the long confinement in these centers.
This is a look inside the "black box" of family immigration detention—and the brave voices breaking the silence.
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“We have been here for nine months. I really miss playing with my toys and my watch. Please get us out of here.”
“I have friends, school and family here in the United States. … To this day, I don’t know what we did wrong to be detained. … I feel like I’ll never get out of here. I just ask that you don’t forget about us.”
“In one minute our entire lives were changed and our plans and dreams were destroyed … This place broke something in us. Something that I don’t know if we will ever be able to fix.”
The post Voices From Dilley: The Stolen Ordinary of Detained Children appeared first on Ms. Magazine.
4/30/2026 3:00:00 PM