Federal attorneys representing immigrant children are raising urgent concerns about dangerous and unsanitary conditions at Texas detention facilities, where families report cloudy tap water, delayed medical care, and children forced to purchase necessities like bottled water for $1.21 while being held for weeks or months without justification.
The revelations emerged as part of ongoing litigation over the Flores Settlement Agreement, with attorneys documenting alarming conditions at the Dilley family detention facility that reopened in March 2025, as well as serious federal violations at the massive Fort Bliss immigration center that can house up to 5,000 detainees. These facilities represent key components of the Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement operations that have significantly increased detention numbers nationwide.
Children Forced to Buy Water as Basic Needs Go Unmet
At the Dilley facility in Texas, approximately 65 families have reported to attorneys that tap water remains persistently cloudy, emits strange odors, and causes stomach problems among detained children. The facility's commissary charges detained families $1.21 for bottled water, alongside other essential items, including deodorant at $5.73, soap at $1.44, and toothpaste at $2.39.
Leecia Welch, deputy legal director at Children's Rights, who has visited children in federal custody for eight years, expressed shock at the conditions. "I have never heard until now of children having to buy water," Welch told the Associated Press. A single dose of Tylenol costs detained families $1.30, according to court documents filed in the ongoing legal challenge.
The facility's hand soap provided for showers has been causing rashes among children. At the same time, families struggle with inadequate food options, limited to snacks such as graham crackers, apples, juice, and milk. Parents report that there are no organized activities for children, with only about an hour of workbook instruction provided each day.
Medical Emergencies Met With Dangerous Delays
Court documents reveal alarming patterns of delayed medical care that have put children's lives at risk. One child with appendicitis waited six hours for a nurse and was not taken to a hospital until he began vomiting, according to family declarations. Another child who injured his arm waited two hours before being transported to a hospital for an X-ray.
The medical neglect extends to routine care, with attorneys documenting cases where children developed rashes after being prevented from changing underwear for four days. At Fort Bliss, federal inspectors found that medical providers failed to conduct proper intake screenings and maintain adequate medical records, with at least one detainee allegedly given psychotropic medication without documented consent.
"Very rarely do you have spikes in populations of detained folk that you don't see a drastic decrease in the quality of their medical care," said Daniel Hatoum, senior supervising attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project.
Fort Bliss Violations Span 60 Federal Standards
The Fort Bliss detention center, known as Camp East Montana, violated at least 60 federal standards for immigration detention, according to a non-public report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention oversight unit obtained by The Washington Post. The violations include failures in basic safety procedures, inadequate medical care, and limited access to legal counsel.
The $1.26 billion facility, which became operational last month and can expand to house 5,000 detainees, was described by detainees and inspectors as a hastily constructed site with dysfunctional plumbing and medical neglect. Virginia-based Acquisition Logistics, which received the massive contract despite having limited experience with detention operations, built the tent-like complex in under two months.
Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat who visited the facility, called on ICE to release information about potential legal violations. "People detained at this facility—including immigrants—have a constitutional right to due process and the right to counsel in immigration court," Crockett stated in a press release.
Flores Agreement Under Attack Amid Deteriorating Conditions
The documented violations occur as the federal government seeks to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which limits detention time for immigrant children and requires safe, sanitary conditions. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles is overseeing the case, where government attorneys argue for ending these protections.
Despite ICE reporting that detention times decreased from an average of six days to five days in June and July 2025, attorneys representing children found many are still held for weeks or months without justification. The government claims the "vast majority" spend less than 72 hours in Customs and Border Protection custody, but legal advocates dispute this characterization.
"A huge percentage of families at Dilley are being apprehended from across the country as they dutifully appear for their immigration court hearings and ICE check-ins," Welch explained to the Associated Press.
Psychological Trauma Compounds Physical Harm
The prolonged detention is taking a severe psychological toll on children. One mother's declaration described her son saying, "he doesn't believe in God anymore because he prays to him, but we still haven't been able to get out of here". Children report being forbidden from playing while in detention pods, with CBP staff yelling at them or telling parents to "control your kids".
A Harvard University study of 165 children detained at the Karnes County Family Residential Center found a median detention time of 43 days, with 88 percent held longer than the 20-day legal limit. The research documented inadequate medical staffing, inappropriate screening for chronic conditions, and insufficient mental health care.
"Detention is never in the best interest of children," said Vasileia Digidiki, director of Harvard's FXB Summer Program on Migration and Refugee Studies.
Settlement Agreement Violations Continue Despite Oversight
Despite a 2022 settlement agreement requiring reforms at CBP facilities in Texas, independent monitors continue finding persistent violations. The National Center for Youth Law and Children's Rights filed a motion in December 2024, seeking to extend the settlement for an additional 2.5 years rather than allowing it to terminate as scheduled in January 2025.
Attorneys documented CBP's failure to provide basic child-friendly materials, unnecessarily separating children from families, and maintaining harsh detention conditions. One child told attorneys, "I don't see the sun," while others reported being prevented from playing during detention.
"Without the 2022 Settlement in place, including independent monitoring, we have no reason to believe CBP will solve issues like unnecessarily separating children from their families," said Mishan Wroe, senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law.
Mass Deportation Campaign Strains System
The deteriorating conditions coincide with the Trump administration's aggressive expansion of immigration enforcement, which has dramatically increased detention numbers from fewer than 40,000 at the end of the Biden administration to nearly 57,000 currently. The administration aims for 3,000 arrests daily as part of what Trump calls "the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America".
The government has removed more than 111,000 people from the country in fiscal 2025, which began October 1, while simultaneously expanding detention infrastructure through facilities like Fort Bliss and similar tent cities planned in multiple states. This rapid expansion has created what experts describe as dangerous overcrowding, compromising basic health and safety standards.
The Defense Department is also considering additional military installations, including Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, for immigration detention purposes. The Pentagon has approved the expansion of the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for immigrant detention as well.
Legal Challenges and Uncertain Future
As civil rights organizations prepare additional legal challenges over detention conditions, the future of immigrant children in federal custody remains uncertain. The combination of increased enforcement, facility expansion, and efforts to eliminate existing protections creates, according to advocates, a perfect storm that threatens vulnerable populations.
The outcome of the Flores Settlement litigation will determine whether current protections for immigrant children remain in place or are eliminated, potentially affecting thousands of minors in federal custody. With Fort Bliss serving as a model for similar facilities planned nationwide, the conditions documented there may preview broader systemic problems as the administration continues its unprecedented deportation campaign.