Nearly 30,000 individuals, including prominent figures such as Madonna and Pedro Pascal, are demanding the urgent closure of a family detention center in Texas. This petition highlights disturbing allegations of abuse and harmful conditions faced by children housed within the facility.
The Dilley Immigration Processing Center, managed by the private contractor CoreCivic under the auspices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has come under fire for its treatment of detainees. The initiative to close the center was launched on Change.org and has rapidly garnered support, reaching almost 30,000 signatures by Tuesday.
The campaign gained momentum following public remarks from children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, who vocally criticized the conditions at Dilley and added her name to the petition. Other notable signatories include:
- Madonna
- Pedro Pascal
- John Legend
- Keke Palmer
- Javier Bardem
- Mark Ruffalo
- America Ferrera
- Elliot Page
- Jane Fonda
- Diego Luna
- Billy Porter
The Dilley center, recognized as one of the largest family immigration detention facilities in the United States, has frequently been at the center of debates surrounding immigration policy, particularly concerning the detention of minors and families awaiting immigration proceedings.
A photograph of five-year-old Liam Ramos, who was taken into ICE custody during Operation Metro Surge, became widely circulated during this controversy. He was released from the Dilley facility on January 31, 2025, after an immigration judge ruled that his family’s asylum claim was insufficient, leading to their order of removal from the country. Representative Ilhan Omar shared a photo of the family at the airport the day after their release, escorting them back to Minnesota.
The petition asserts that children detained at Dilley are subjected to “trauma, neglect and conditions that violate basic standards of health, safety, dignity and human rights.” It references court documents that allege the facility provides inadequate access to clean water, serves spoiled food, fails to deliver necessary medical care, and imposes sleep deprivation, among other issues.
“No child should be locked in an immigration detention center,” the petition emphasizes, arguing that children should be in educational environments and play areas, rather than in confinement. It calls for federal authorities and CoreCivic to shut down the facility, release the families held there, and discontinue the detention of minors altogether. Furthermore, it advocates for broader reforms to increase transparency and accountability within the U.S. immigration system.
In response to the allegations, CoreCivic has issued statements dismissing the claims as unfounded, insisting that they are made by individuals who are either misinformed or purposefully misleading the public. A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security has also defended the agency’s practices, reiterating their commitment to safeguarding children and working alongside law enforcement to reunite families.
