U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said he witnessed troubling conditions during a visit Friday to the Dilley Detention Center.
DILLEY, Texas — A South Texas family detention facility is under renewed scrutiny after a congressional visit and new allegations about medical care for detained children.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said he witnessed troubling conditions during a visit Friday to the Dilley Detention Center, where families are held for immigration processing.
His visit comes after KENS 5 reported on concerns from attorneys about a 1-year-old girl, Amalia, who they say nearly died while detained and was not given access to necessary medication. The Department of Homeland Security disputes those claims.
Castro, a Democrat, said he continues to hear similar accounts from families inside the facility and met with several detained children during his tour.
“There’s a brutality behind closed doors, behind the walls of these prisons, and people don’t see that,” Castro said.
Castro said he has spoken directly with officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the facility’s operator, CoreCivic, about his concerns regarding care and services. He alleged the center is not providing schooling despite having classroom space and is falling short on medical treatment.
“They have space for medical care, but they often don’t perform the medical care,” he said.
Castro described one case involving a teenage boy detained after being picked up by agents in Florida. According to Castro, the boy reported symptoms consistent with appendicitis but was initially turned away by a nurse.
“The nurse told him to come back in three days if he still had pain and said she couldn’t do anything for him,” Castro said. “He said he could barely walk at that point and that he couldn’t make it back to his room and ended up throwing up all over the floor of that room, and then they took him more seriously.”
Castro said the facility does not have a doctor on site around the clock, but does have one on call.
In prior statements, the Department of Homeland Security has said that from the moment someone enters ICE custody, they receive medical, dental and mental health intake screenings, with a full assessment within 14 days. The agency says detainees have access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.
“For many, this represents the best healthcare they have ever received,” DHS said in a previous statement.
Following a confirmed measles outbreak at the facility, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales defended conditions there during an appearance Feb. 8 on Face the Nation.
“The facility in Dilley — I’ve visited there many times,” Gonzales said. “It is a nice facility. It’s a detention facility for people that are in the country illegally that are about to be deported, but it is a nice facility, nicer than some elementary schools in San Antonio.”
ICE has been contacted for a response to Castro’s latest claims. As of Friday night, KENS 5 is waiting for a response.