Congresswoman Luz Rivas Conducts Oversight at Dilley Family Detention Facility in Texas, Raises Alarm Over ICE Secrecy

July 28, 2026 Press Release Dilley, Texas — Congresswoman Luz Rivas (CA-29), representative for California’s 29th Congressional District, conducted a Congressional oversight visit of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas with her colleagues, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). The Members visited the Dilley Immigration Processing Center to meet with women, children, and families who have been detained for extended periods of time and conduct oversight on the conditions of the facility, which has been consistently reported as inhumane and dire. “My colleagues and I met with 20 people, including a 16-year-old, who have been detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for months,” said Congresswoman Rivas. “I spoke with a woman from Maryland who was attending her court hearing in March when she was detained and sent to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Her 12-year-old son with special needs has a court hearing tomorrow and is worried that he, too, will be sent to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center or even deported. This is one story among hundreds – of mothers detained, children pulled away from school, families separated, and lives being disrupted in ways that often go unseen. We owe it to these families to listen and respond.” Unfortunately, ICE officials on-site severely limited access to Members. More specifically, the Members were only able to talk to one child, even though over 100 children are detained. Members were not shown the medical unit nor classrooms, which were of particular importance especially to determine the conditions of the facility. Members observed that ICE is becoming more secretive and more restrictive, including not even providing the number of federal workers on site. This is concerning and only underscores the continued calls to shut down the Dilley Detention Facility. During their visit, Members were shown a courtroom where cases are heard, an intake facility where pregnant women, children, and infants are processed, and a small plastic playground that offers no shade to children from the Texas sun. Congresswoman Rivas continued: “ICE is being increasingly secretive about their actions at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. We were only allowed to speak to one child out of 112 children – and even that interaction was cut short. ICE is traumatizing over 500 individuals – including pregnant women, children, and infants as young as 2 months old – and subjecting them to inhumane conditions for extended periods of time. These individuals should be living their lives, welcoming their newborn children, playing with their friends, and raising their families outside of ICE detention. 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.” Background: Congresswoman Luz Rivas has conducted seven oversight visits at immigration detention facilities in California and Texas, including at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, the Adelanto Detention Facility, the California City Detention Facility, and the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. ICE blocked Congresswoman Rivas from conducting oversight of detention facilities three times. Congresswoman Rivas joined Congressman Joaquin Castro and over 100 of their House Democratic Caucus colleagues in calling for the Dilley Immigration Processing Center to be shut down. Congresswoman Rivas has also sent five letters to ICE leadership calling for accountability into the conditions at detention centers and joined her colleagues for field hearings into ICE abuses in Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Dilley Immigration Processing Center, also known as the South Texas Family Residential Center, was built in 2014 to detain women and children. 539 individuals are currently being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. A report on the Dilley Immigration Processing Center from Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) found that families are routinely being held longer than the 20-day legal limit, with many being held for months. The report noted unsafe and degrading conditions, including inadequate access to food, water, personal hygiene, and basic care that are particularly harmful to children.  Pregnant women face inadequate prenatal care and unsafe medical practices, putting them and their unborn babies at risk. Many are deported without a meaningful opportunity to seek protection, raising concerns under U.S. and international law. The report also mentions that facilities at the Dilley Immigration Detention Center lack educational resources for children, noting that classes are taught by a prison guard. ###