'I Miss My School And My Friends': Children’s Letters Describe Life Inside ICE Detention

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — For many Minnesotans, the name "Dilley" has become familiar. Families detained during immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities, including children from Minnesota schools such as 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, have been sent to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas.

A new report from ProPublica shares rare firsthand accounts from inside that facility, using letters and drawings written by children detained there with their parents.

In their own words, the kids describe fear, sadness and the pain of being cut off from school and normal life, writing things like, "I miss my school and my friends," and, "I don’t want to be in this place. I want to go to my school."

The investigation reports that hundreds of families were being held at Dilley in early February, with some children detained for weeks or months.

In the letters, kids wrote about feeling depressed, missing teachers and classmates, and struggling when they became sick. One child wrote that being at the facility brought "sadness and mostly depression."

Federal officials said detainees receive food, medical care and educational materials, and that parents can decide whether families are deported together or children are released to other caregivers.

Read the full report at ProPublica here.