Children Recount Nightmares at Texas Immigration Facility

Detainees describe inedible food, lack of schooling at Dilley Processing Center

Feb. 7, 2026 at 5:47pm

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Families detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas have recounted nightmarish conditions, including inadequate food, lack of education, and traumatic experiences for their children. Kelly Vargas said her 6-year-old daughter Maria went from being a thriving student to deeply distressed after just days at the facility.

Why it matters

The treatment of migrant children in detention facilities has been a major point of controversy, with concerns raised about the psychological and developmental impacts on young people. This report provides first-hand accounts that underscore the urgent need to address the conditions at these centers.

The details

Vargas said that within days of being detained and sent to the Dilley facility, her daughter Maria went from being a happy, thriving student to deeply distressed, no longer wanting to draw or play. Other detainees described the food as inedible and the lack of educational opportunities for the children held there.

  • Vargas and her daughter were detained and sent to the Dilley facility last fall.

The players

Kelly Vargas

A mother who was detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center with her 6-year-old daughter Maria.

Maria

Vargas' 6-year-old daughter who went from being a thriving student to deeply distressed after being detained at the Dilley facility.

Dilley Immigration Processing Center

A detention facility for migrant families located in Dilley, Texas.

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What they’re saying

“How are they going to do this to a child?”

— Kelly Vargas, Mother detained at Dilley facility

The takeaway

This report underscores the urgent need to address the inhumane conditions and traumatic impacts on children being held in immigration detention facilities across the United States.