Children Suffer Unsafe Conditions and Lasting Trauma Inside ICE Family Detention Centers

Recent court filings and firsthand testimony paint a deeply disturbing picture of how children and families are being treated while held in ICE detention. Allegations include “food contaminated with worms and mold,” limited access to clean drinking water, and severe gaps in medical care for children who are already vulnerable. Since the reopening of family detention centers this spring, more than 1,700 children have been placed into custody under policies revived by the Trump administration.

According to Becky Wolozin, a senior lawyer with the National Center for Youth Law, many of the families now detained are not recent border arrivals. “These are your neighbors, your friends, your kids’ friends who are being picked up… from across the country,” she said, describing arrests happening inside U.S. communities. Wolozin personally visited the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where her organization has sued the federal government over conditions.

She described “profound problems with basic needs, like food and water,” explaining that children are often unable to eat what is provided. Families reported vegetables that were “moldy or had worms in them,” with children becoming sick after meals. One mother shared that she had to “suck the sauce off each piece of pasta” just to get her child to eat something plain. Child-appropriate meals were largely absent.

Medical neglect is another recurring theme. Wolozin said children with chronic conditions are not properly treated, and routine illnesses become dangerous. One child’s earache escalated into a severe infection that caused hearing loss after delayed care. When treatment finally came, “the antibiotics they gave her were extremely strong and caused her a lot of distress.”

The emotional toll on children is devastating. Wolozin described toddlers becoming violent toward themselves, teenagers crying nightly, and children experiencing “constant sadness, nightmares, crying every night.” Families are often held for prolonged periods, with dozens detained for more than 80 days in what Wolozin described as “horrible conditions.”

Despite government claims that “ICE’s actions exemplify a model of regulatory compliance and humane care,” Wolozin rejected that outright: “It’s just not true.” She cited moldy water containers, lights left on all night, lack of schooling, and constant disruption. “None of this is necessary,” she said, concluding that the harm inflicted appears intentional, pushing families to abandon their search for safety and leave the country altogether.

Link: PBS