Stanton Provides Update on Margoth and Dilan Paredes, Tempe Family Held in ICE Detention in Texas

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said he has spoken directly with Tempe resident Margoth Paredes-Ortiz who, along with her 14-year-old son Dilan, has now spent more than two weeks detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. Margoth and Dilan were taken into custody on May 26, 2026. Today, June 15, marks 20 days since the children were taken into federal immigration custody — an important deadline under the landmark 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which protects children from prolonged detention. "A mother and her son belong at home, not in a detention facility hundreds of miles from their community. Margoth and Dilan fled real violence in Ecuador and built a life in Tempe. I will not stop fighting for their return,” Stanton said. Background: Margoth fled Ecuador after she and Dilan were held at gunpoint while she was at work. She sought asylum upon arriving in the United States in 2023. Dilan, who was enrolled at Cecil Shamley School in Tempe at the time of their detention, is now experiencing significant emotional distress. Margoth reports he cries frequently and doesn’t understand the circumstances of their detention. ICE confirmed to Stanton’s office that no removal is imminent as her case is before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Stanton's office has taken the following actions on behalf of the family: Submitted a formal congressional inquiry to ICE's Office of Congressional Relations requesting written updates on the family's case and detention conditions, and requested a direct call with the acting director of ICE. Coordinated with Congressman Joaquín Castro's (D-TX) office, legal advocates, and Texas-based immigration organizations to help ensure Margoth and Dilan have access to legal representation. Continued to monitor conditions at the Dilley facility, including access to food, water, educational programming, legal calls, and medical care. Background on the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement The 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement “ sets out nationwide policy for the detention, release, and treatment of minors” in federal immigration custody. Under the agreement, when immigration authorities take a minor into custody, they must “expeditiously process the minor” and release the minor “ without unnecessary delay ” to a parent, legal guardian, adult relative, other approved custodian, or licensed program willing to accept custody. If release cannot be effected, the agreement requires that the minor be placed in the “ least restrictive setting ” appropriate to the minor’s age and special needs, consistent with the government’s interest in ensuring appearance in immigration proceedings and protecting the minor’s well-being and the safety of others. In practical terms, the agreement requires the government to: Expeditiously process the minor after taking the child into custody; Release the minor “without unnecessary delay” to an approved parent, guardian, relative, custodian, or licensed program; or Place the minor in the “least restrictive setting” and, where release is not effected, in a “licensed program.” In Flores v. Lynch , the Ninth Circuit described the settlement as creating “a presumption in favor of releasing minors.”