Families shared their testimonies with immigrant advocates filing a lawsuit to prevent the Trump administration from terminating the Flores Settlement Agreement, a '90s-era policy that requires immigrant children detained in federal custody be held in safe and sanitary conditions.
The agreement could challenge President
“At a time when
Advocates with the center, as well as the
The conditions of the family detention facilities were undisclosed until immigration attorneys filed an opposing motion before a
The oversight of the detention facilities was possible because of the settlement, and the visits help ensure standards compliance and transparency, said
Out of 90 families who spoke to RAICES since March, 40 expressed medical concerns, according to the court documents. Several testimonies expressed concern over water quantity and quality.
Emails seeking comment were sent to the
One mother was told she would have to use tap water for formula for her 9-month-old, who had diarrhea for three days after, and a 16-year-old girl described people scrambling over each other for water.
“We don’t get enough water. They put out a little case of water, and everyone has to run for it," said the declaration from the girl held with her mother and two younger siblings at the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center. “An adult here even pushed my little sister out of the way to get to the water first.”
One family with a young boy with cancer said he missed his doctor's appointment after the family was arrested following their attendance to an immigration court hearing. He is now experiencing relapse symptoms, according to the motion. Another family said their 9-month old lost over 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) while in detention for a month.
Children spoke openly about their trauma during visits with legal monitors, including a 12-year-old boy with a blood condition. He reported his feet became too inflamed to walk, and even though he saw a doctor, he was denied further testing. Now, he stays mostly off his feet. “It hurts when I walk,” he said in a court declaration.
Arrests have left psychological trauma. A mother of a 3-year-old boy who saw agents go inside his babysitter's home with guns started acting differently after detention. She said he now throws himself on the ground, bruises himself and refuses to eat most days.
Growing concerns as ICE ramps up operations
Many of the the families in detention were already living in the
“As of early June, the census at
Pediatricians like Dr.
Future of detention without Flores agreement
The Flores agreement is poised to become more relevant if Trump’s legislation called the “ One Big Beautiful Bill Act ” passes with the current language allowing the indefinite detention of immigrant families, which is not allowed under the Flores agreement.
Trump's legislation approved by the House also proposes setting aside
Under these increased efforts to add more detention space, GeoGroup, the same corporation operating the detention facility in
Immigration advocates argue that if the settlement were terminated, the government would need to create regulations that conform to the agreement’s terms.
“Plaintiffs did not settle for policy making— they settled for rulemaking," the motion read.
The federal government will have a chance to submit a reply brief. A court hearing is later scheduled for mid-July.
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