DILLEY, UNITED STATES
A detention center in rural Texas has become a harsh symbol of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, with disease breaking out among the throng of people held, including some families who entered the United States legally. The Dilley Immigration Processing Center sits in a small town of just 3,200 people, just about 85 miles (135 kilometers) from the Mexico border, but has become a grim global melting pot.
Many detainees were picked up as their asylum claims were being processed or as they were checking in with authorities on their cases, lawyers told media, as Trump massively expands the scope of who can be targeted for detention and deportation. “I cry all the time. My son tries to wipe the tear from my eyes,” said W, a Haitian woman who along with her son crossed the border legally to seek asylum, under a program run by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
Historically, asylum seekers have generally been allowed to live and work in the United States while their claims work their way through the court system. But W and her son were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and sent to Dilley in October, where W says authorities have tried to force her to sign a deportation order. Her testimony, like that of others in this report, was taken by the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a legal advocacy group, and shown to media. Many names have been fully or partially withheld.
