Drawings by Detained Children Reveal Pleas for Freedom

Guards at immigrant detention center accused of seizing children's artwork to silence their cries for help

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Heartbreaking drawings and letters by children held at the notorious Dilley immigrant detention facility in Texas have been smuggled out, exposing the misery behind its walls. The sketches include pleas to God and desperate messages about wanting to leave, with guards accused of seizing crayons, colored pencils, and artwork in an effort to silence the detainees.

Why it matters

The Dilley facility has faced intense scrutiny over its treatment of detainees, especially children, with reports of poor conditions, health concerns, and allegations of inhumane practices. These newly revealed drawings and letters provide a rare firsthand look at the trauma experienced by the facility's youngest residents and raise further questions about the treatment of immigrant families in detention.

The details

The drawings and letters were obtained by ProPublica after being smuggled out of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. They include a pencil drawing of a bus carrying stick figure family members behind a wire fence, with a child writing 'Me quiero ir' ('I want to leave'). Nine-year-old Valentina drew her family as frowning stick figures trapped behind a fence, pleading to God for help to 'end this nightmare.' Former detainees and lawyers say guards have been confiscating art supplies and artwork, including one child's drawing of Bratz dolls, in an apparent effort to silence the detainees after their pleas for help drew public attention.

  • In January, the detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos at Dilley sparked national outrage.
  • More than 3,500 people have cycled through Dilley since the Trump administration restarted family detention last spring, with roughly 800 children currently held there.
  • The crackdown on children's artwork and communication intensified after the children's letters and drawings drew widespread public attention following Liam's detention.

The players

Valentina

A 9-year-old girl who drew her family as frowning stick figures trapped behind a wire fence, alongside a plea to God to help them escape 'this nightmare'.

Liam Conejo Ramos

A 5-year-old boy whose detention at Dilley in January sparked national outrage, with reports that he was found unresponsive and barely able to open his eyes during a congressional visit.

Elian Ysai Brenes Chávez

A child who kept his drawing to four pithy words: 'I want to leave.'

Christian Hinojosa

A former detainee who was held at Dilley for four months alongside her 13-year-old son, Gustavo, before they were released in early February. She was able to preserve the children's testimony by smuggling out 34 pages of drawings and letters.

Mathias Bermeo

A 7-year-old who wrote a letter saying 'I need you to help us I have been detained for 23 days with my mom and my 3-year-old sister. I cry a lot I want to get out of here go back to my school they don't treat us Well here there are many children we are kidnapped help!'

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What they’re saying

“I have been detained for a long time. My parents say it's been 4 months but for me and my little sister Jireth it feels like a year I just want to go to the United States to be with my grandparents and finally end this nightmare that my family has had to live through, I feel like I've had the worst days of my life I want God to help us get out of here so we can be happy again and study together as a family. Please help us and our parents get out of here thank you.”

— Valentina, 9-year-old detainee (ProPublica)

“I'm writing this letter so that you can hear my story. I need you to help us I have been detained for 23 days with my mom and my 3-year-old sister. I cry a lot I want to get out of here go back to my school they don't treat us Well here there are many children we are kidnapped help!”

— Mathias Bermeo, 7-year-old detainee (ProPublica)

What’s next

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, who has visited Dilley twice, said he had no difficulty believing the accounts of guards confiscating children's artwork and warned detainees not to speak to him. He said detainees had described 'the inhumane and horrific conditions' inside the facility, which has also faced health concerns and lawsuits over alleged poor treatment.

The takeaway

These heartbreaking drawings and letters from children detained at Dilley provide a rare firsthand glimpse into the trauma and desperation experienced by immigrant families in detention, raising serious questions about the treatment of vulnerable minors and the broader policies that have led to their incarceration.