Members of Congress representing Texas and other states called on an end to family detention this week after visiting the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Dilley, Texas.
They traveled to the facility as part of an oversight trip led by US Rep. Joaquin Castro (D‑Texas). On Tuesday, Castro joined Democratic Women’s Caucus members: US Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D‑AZ), Lizzie Fletcher (D‑Texas), Luz Rivas (D‑Calif.) and Ayanna Pressley (D‑Mass.) at a press conference with FWD.us and the Families Belong Together campaign, urging the US Department of Homeland Security to release the women, children, and families held at the facility.
Representatives detailed what they saw inside the facility and stressed that families in detention and communities across the country are experiencing trauma under the administration’s policies. They said the conditions, including insufficient meals, poor medical care, and a lack of education for kids make clear that the harm caused by family detention cannot continue.
“Americans are being lied to about what this administration is doing, who it’s detaining, and why. It has to stop,” said Fletcher. “The detention that we see in Dilley and the trauma that we see in our communities don’t serve the interests of the American people. We deserve better.”
More than 100 children are imprisoned at Dilley. The youngest child imprisoned at Dilley is 2 months old. Texas has the most ICE detainees, with 16,450 people being held in these facilities as of July 9. Congress has committed tens of billions for immigration enforcement after detention centers saw a number of deaths of detainees in 2025 not seen since 2004.
“Dilley is the only place in America that imprisons young children who have done nothing wrong,” Castro said. “In our streets, ICE operations are surging. Behind closed doors, the number of kids locked away has gone up.”Castro, like other members of Congress who spoke about the conditions at the detention center, called for the shutdown of the facility.
Rivas traveled from California to join the tour and spoke with families inside the facility.
“These individuals should be living their lives, welcoming their newborn children, playing with their friends, and raising their families outside of ICE detention,” Rivas said. “The Trump Administration must be held accountable for the trauma it is inflicting on immigrant families. Children should not be detained, and I am continuing to call for the Dilley Detention Facility to be shut down, immediately.”
Pressley echoed those concerns.
“I leave today clear as ever that Congress must close Dilley, end the practice of family detention, and abolish ICE now,” Pressley said. “We must put an end to Trump and ICE’s campaign of terror, and keep fighting for dignity, humanity, and freedom for every single one of our neighbors.”
Lawmakers said the visit underscored the urgency of ending family detention and closing the Dilley facility. They vowed to keep pressing federal officials for changes, arguing that the conditions they witnessed demanded immediate action to protect the safety of the families held there.
