Texas Immigrant Children Face Unsafe, Unsanitary Conditions, Advocates

(TEXAS, UNITED STATES) Attorneys and child welfare groups say immigrant children held at Texas family detention facilities in 2025 are living in unsafe, unsanitary conditions after the government reopened the large centers in Dilley and Karnes this spring. The facilities, run by private prison companies under contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began taking in families again in March under President Trump’s expanded enforcement push.

The surge has strained the system: as of June 29, 2025, ICE held 57,861 detainees, a 51% jump from June 2024, leaving the national network about 45% over capacity, according to recent filings and advocacy reports. Attorneys describe shortages of clean water, poor food, delayed medical care, and depressed children with little to do.

At Dilley, which CoreCivic operates and can hold 2,400 people, only two of five housing areas were open in early June with a census near 300. GEO Group runs Karnes. Lawyers working inside both locations say the picture is similar: foul-smelling tap water that makes children sick, long waits for nurses, and parents forced to buy basic items they can’t afford.

“Adults fighting children for clean water” — one advocate’s description of the scramble for bottles sold through commissary windows.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the reopening of these detention facilities created a pipeline that moved families from border processing into long-term custody far faster than the government rebuilt health and child welfare services to support them.

Conditions inside Dilley and Karnes

Parents and children housed at Dilley and Karnes describe problems that go beyond crowding. Multiple accounts detail cloudy, foul-smelling tap water, stomach illness, and children pressured to purchase bottled water for $1.21 per bottle when they cannot keep down what comes from the sink.

Food is light and repetitive; children struggle to eat snacks such as graham crackers and apples. Some kids have developed rashes from the soap provided, according to sworn statements. A few were blocked from changing underwear for days. Clothes get filthy, and laundry access can be limited.

Medical care is a flashpoint:

• Out of 90 families interviewed by RAICES since March, 40 reported medical concerns.
• Reports include a child with swollen feet denied an exam, another with severe stomach pain who waited six hours for a nurse, and a child with appendicitis not taken to a hospital until after vomiting.
• One nine-month-old reportedly lost eight pounds in a month.

Pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics have urged the government to let independent children’s health experts inside, warning that the current setup risks long-term harm.

Mental health has frayed as days roll into weeks. Children get about an hour of workbook time, with few organized activities outside that. Some teenagers and younger kids have told attorneys they feel hopeless. One boy said he no longer believes in God because he keeps praying to be released and “we still haven’t been able to get out of here.” Parents describe sleepless nights and constant fear of punishment for complaints.

Costs and commissary issues

Costs inside the centers add up and hit families especially hard because detainees cannot work:

• $5.73 for deodorant
• $1.44 for soap
• $2.39 for toothpaste
• $1.30 per dose for Tylenol

Advocates describe the commissary as effectively taxing families who cannot risk waiting for supplies that may never arrive. With wages forbidden in immigration detention, parents often rely on relatives outside to add money to accounts. When those relatives are also struggling, children go without essentials.

Private operators and finances

The private companies operating the facilities are seeing a windfall, according to budget documents and investor statements cited by advocates:

• CoreCivic expects about $180 million per year from the Dilley contract.
• GEO Group’s Karnes contract is projected at $79 million annually.
• Roughly 90% of ICE detainees nationwide are in private, for-profit facilities.

Attorneys say this structure rewards fuller buildings and longer stays.

Legal fight over Flores and oversight

These reports have landed as the administration seeks to roll back the Flores Settlement Agreement, the long-standing court deal that sets minimum standards for children in immigration custody.

• Flores requires safe, sanitary conditions and limits how long the government can detain children.
• The administration has asked a federal court in California to end Flores, arguing that new legislation and agency rules make it unnecessary.
• A hearing before U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee took place on August 8, 2025, with a ruling expected soon.

Advocates warn that if Flores ends, outside oversight will shrink. Today, monitors and attorneys can inspect and document conditions because Flores compels access. Without it, they say, it will be harder to prove neglect, press for fixes, or even confirm what is happening inside Dilley and Karnes.

Groups including the National Center for Youth Law, the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, RAICES, and Children’s Rights have filed motions to preserve Flores protections and have asked the court to appoint independent pediatric monitors.

Congressional funding push

The legal fight unfolds alongside a funding push. The House passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” proposing $45 billion over four years to expand ICE detention and allow indefinite detention of families, a direct challenge to Flores. The Senate is now weighing that bill.

If it becomes law, immigration lawyers say the United States 🇺🇸 would move toward a model where many families—including babies and toddlers—could be held for months or longer while their cases proceed, with fewer checks on conditions inside the facilities.

Government officials maintain that ICE detention facilities meet “the highest standards.” As of mid-September, the office of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the private operators had not provided substantive responses to detailed allegations from attorneys and medical groups. ICE has said in public statements that it provides medical care and daily meals in line with agency standards. Advocates counter that the reality on the ground falls far short, citing first-hand interviews, medical records, and photos from inside Dilley and Karnes.

Oversight from within the Department of Homeland Security has reportedly been narrowed in recent months, according to legal filings. Families who wish to report abuse or discrimination can still submit complaints to the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which accepts reports from people in custody and their representatives.

More information on filing complaints is available here: Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Attorneys say, however, that internal complaint systems rarely result in timely fixes without court pressure or outside media attention.

Human impact, daily risks, and what’s next

For families inside Dilley and Karnes, time is the enemy. Despite official claims that most children are held for less than 72 hours, lawyers say many stay for weeks or months without a clear reason. Some are released, only to be detained again at routine ICE check-ins—a cycle that adds trauma and keeps children out of school and away from stability.

The constant uncertainty affects health:

• Crowding increases the spread of illness.
• Delayed medical care turns manageable problems into emergencies.
• Poor sanitation can lead to rashes, dehydration, and malnutrition.
• Depression deepens, especially when children sense their parents’ fear.

Frontline pediatricians caution that even short periods in detention can have lasting effects on a child’s brain development and emotional health. With limited sleep, weak nutrition, and stress, children fall behind. When families are later released to court hearings, the damage follows them—anxious sleep, food avoidance, and distrust of adults. Teachers and social workers who receive children after release carry much of the recovery work, often without records from the detention facilities to guide care.

The reopening of family detention marks a sharp policy turn. Under President Biden, family detention was drastically reduced, with most families processed and released to community programs. The current approach expands detention space and relies on private operators.

• Supporters inside government argue detention discourages repeat crossings and speeds up case completion.
• Immigrant advocates respond that families fleeing danger need fair hearings and safe shelter, not jail-like settings.
• They say community-based case management costs far less and keeps children healthy while their cases move forward.

Inside the facilities, families try to make the best of bad conditions. Some parents stretch limited funds to buy bottled water and small snacks their children will eat. Others trade items to cover gaps: a bar of soap for a packet of wipes, a piece of fruit for a few Tylenol doses when a fever spikes overnight.

For now, all eyes are on the courts and Congress. Judge Gee’s decision on Flores will shape how much sunlight reaches inside Dilley and Karnes. The Senate’s choice on the House bill will decide whether detention facilities grow and whether families can be held for indefinite periods.

• If funding increases and oversight loosens, advocates fear that reports of illness and neglect will rise, not fall.
• If the court keeps Flores in place and lawmakers step back from indefinite detention, attorneys expect stronger monitoring and shorter stays for children.

Practical advice and calls to action

Practical steps for families and their supporters remain limited but important:

1. Seek medical attention immediately for fevers, vomiting, or signs of dehydration.
2. Document symptoms and requests for care.
3. Ask for clean drinking water in writing.
4. Keep receipts for commissary purchases to show the real cost of basics.
5. Submit complaints to DHS if you witness neglect, and inform legal aid groups that track patterns and bring cases to federal court.

The companies that run Dilley and Karnes continue to expand staffing to meet contract demands. With more funding likely and higher detainee numbers, both facilities are expected to grow their populations in the coming months.

For children inside, the question is simpler than the legal briefs suggest: Will the next cup of water be clean, and will a nurse come when they’re sick? On those urgent tests, parents and attorneys say, the system is failing—and fast.