U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released findings on Jul. 31 regarding conditions at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility. Durbin called for a committee oversight hearing to address what he described as troubling treatment of children and families detained at the center.
Durbin said his staff visited Dilley as part of an ongoing investigation into medical and mental health care, solitary confinement, and access to counsel in immigration detention. He reported that upon arrival, Department of Homeland Security officials imposed a two-hour time limit on their visit. “Today, I am releasing a fact sheet documenting findings and observations from my staff’s visit to Dilley… My staff visited Dilley as part of an ongoing investigation into medical and mental health care, solitary confinement, and access to counsel in immigration detention. During that visit, in an attempt to curtail oversight, DHS imposed an arbitrary two-hour time limit on visiting the facility. My staff nevertheless spoke to families detained at Dilley, documenting systemic medical neglect, including children who were denied treatment for serious medical conditions and experienced delayed emergency care,” Durbin wrote.
He continued: “Children and their parents described a top-down culture of cruelty among Dilley staff, including guards deliberately disrupting children’s sleep at night, purposely entering rooms without knocking, and taunting children who are often provided with inedible food by eating candy and pizza in front of them. My staff also documented undrinkable water, inadequate education for school-age children, and prolonged detention that in many cases appears to violate the Flores Settlement Agreement.” Durbin added, “Given the reported imminent expansion of family detention, and the mounting toll of detention on children and families detained at Dilley, I believe a Committee hearing is warranted.”
According to observations from his team’s site visit: Families described substandard medical care; inadequate food; undrinkable water; disrupted sleep; rude guards; confusion about legal processes; limitations on communication with family outside Dilley; reports of cruelty by staff; lackluster educational efforts for school-age detainees.
The Senate Judiciary Committee plays a significant role nationwide through its legislative duties—including review of legislation affecting constitutional protections—and oversight responsibilities such as evaluating federal law enforcement agencies or judicial nominations, according to the official website. The committee is led by a chairperson overseeing hearings attended by senators from both major parties.
Last year Durbin’s office released similar reports about facilities in Florida and Louisiana. Recently he hosted a forum featuring testimony from Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete—a former detainee—highlighting how policies under President Trump have contributed to high rates of deaths within federal custody.