As detention centers across the country face increasing overcrowding, alarming reports have emerged indicating that some migrants were recently held for several days at a federal office in Dallas that is not designed for long-term stays, leading to claims of poor detention conditions.
Family members of detainees have come forward with serious concerns regarding the treatment of their loved ones.
Contrary to these allegations, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied any claims of mistreatment or poor conditions at the Dallas field office.
According to a 2018 audit of the facility, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office located in the Stemmons Corridor of Dallas is classified as a “holding facility.”
However, under ICE’s own standards, outlined in a 2024 directive, the agency prohibits keeping migrants in such facilities for over 12 hours except under “exceptional circumstances.”
Interviews with three families, along with court records obtained by The Dallas Morning News, revealed that the conditions at the site are not equipped to handle extended stays, leading to overcrowding and a lack of essential resources for detainees.
Jonathan Dykes expressed his distress in a recent interview, revealing that his husband, Luis Rodriguez Medina, was held at the Dallas field office for approximately five days.
“I don’t know what to do,” Dykes said, adding, “They’re being treated so poorly.”
In response to these troubling allegations, family members and community advocates in Dallas have initiated an outcry — using social media, holding vigils, and filing a formal complaint with the city about the ICE field office.
Moreover, Democratic members of Congress from the Dallas-Fort Worth area have also formally demanded answers from the agency, including in a joint letter sent on Monday.
The situation has coincided with ongoing questions regarding the country’s immigration detention capacity.
Reports indicate that during the Trump administration, there were intentions to apprehend 3,000 undocumented migrants daily, resulting in a significant surge in detention numbers.
As of July 13, there were nearly 57,000 individuals in detention across the nation, compared to just over 37,000 for the same time frame the previous year, according to ICE data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
“If you’re apprehending, or shooting to apprehend 3,000 people a day, it doesn’t take long to fill those beds,” remarked Sarah Saldaña, the former ICE director under the Obama administration.
She added, “You may be apprehending, but where are you going to put them once you apprehend them?”
In a response issued on Monday, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin categorically denied allegations of poor conditions at the Dallas field office.
“ICE has legal authority to temporarily house illegal aliens while they are being processed after their arrest,” she stated.
“Processing centers have beds, running water, and other essentials. Any allegations to the contrary are FALSE.”
McLaughlin further refuted claims of inadequate medical care, asserting that the agency has a longstanding commitment to provide comprehensive medical care when individuals enter ICE custody.
When initially asked about the reports of individuals being held at the Dallas ICE field office for over the prescribed 12-hour standard, McLaughlin responded by highlighting the administration’s focus on mass deportations supported by “historic funding” from President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill.
She stated, “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.”
Additionally, McLaughlin mentioned that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has called on states and local governments to assist in the provision of detention beds, highlighting recent developments such as Florida’s opening of Alligator Alcatraz and a federal contract to build a 5,000-person detention facility at Fort Bliss, an El Paso Army base.
However, McLaughlin did not address specific inquiries from The News about whether a new directive was issued allowing for individuals to be detained beyond the 12-hour mark in holding facilities, nor did she clarify what is classified as “exceptional circumstances.”
In particular, Dykes detailed his experience losing his husband to ICE custody on July 18.
While accompanying Rodriguez Medina to a hearing at the Dallas immigration court, Dykes recounted how the court dismissed his husband’s case.
The couple had hoped for asylum due to their sexual orientation, but with Rodriguez Medina having been in the U.S. for less than two years, his case fell under the criteria for expedited removal.
After the hearing, Dykes described plainclothes agents grabbing his husband as he exited the courtroom.
“They ripped my heart out of my chest,” Dykes recounted.
“I told them, ‘This is my family you’re taking from me,’ and they didn’t care.”
Subsequently, Rodriguez Medina was transferred to the Dallas ICE field office, where he reportedly did not receive his prescribed medication for several days.
ICE’s own standards for holding facilities indicate that individuals should have access to necessary medications, but Rodriguez Medina’s experience was starkly different.
Dykes shared that his husband’s living conditions were severely compromised, describing the location as “very hot” and overcrowded, with over 30 individuals crammed into a single room.
“He was very uncomfortable and very grouchy,” Dykes said. “It was hard to sleep.”
Another individual, Yuri Sosa-Sotolongo, a 33-year-old Cuban man, also faced similar challenges at the Dallas ICE field office.
Sosa-Sotolongo, who fled Cuba in 2020 and had requested asylum, found himself in a precarious situation after the U.S. government could not deport him back to Cuba, subsequently placing him under an order of supervision that required regular check-ins at the Dallas ICE office.
On July 18, during a scheduled check-in, Sosa-Sotolongo was detained and held at the field office for five days, during which he lacked access to basic hygiene, including the ability to shower.
His girlfriend, Claudia, noted that Sosa-Sotolongo had to sleep next to the toilet in a cramped room.
ICE officers later provided him with a thin mattress after they removed some other detainees, but the conditions remained troubling.
Both Sosa-Sotolongo and Rodriguez Medina reportedly do not have any criminal records, as verified through searches of available court records and public databases.
Sosa-Sotolongo was eventually transferred to the Logan County Jail in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and subsequently moved to the Cimarron Detention Center in Cushing, Oklahoma.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez Medina was relocated to the Bluebonnet Detention Center located about 25 miles north of Abilene.
Dykes made the long journey to visit his husband on Saturday, driving 4.5 hours from their home in Gladewater, just outside of Longview.
Due to ICE regulations, the couple was unable to embrace during their visit, resulting in an emotional encounter filled with tears.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Dykes reported an improvement in Rodriguez Medina’s detention conditions, stating, “He said it’s better.”
Advocacy efforts in Dallas have continued to intensify as community groups rally in response to the troubling reports from the Dallas ICE field office.
In the past week, more than 100 people gathered outside the building, raising concerns about the inhumane treatment alleged to take place just outside their community.
Noemi Rios, an organizer with Vecinos Unidos DFW, expressed the group’s commitment to holding ICE accountable for their actions.
Rios urged attendees to sustain their advocacy efforts and continue participating in vigils organized by clergymembers every Monday morning outside the field office.
Among the group participating in the vigils is Rev. Eric Folkerth, senior pastor of Kessler Park UMC, who has been vocal about the treatment of detainees.
Local lawmakers have also been called upon to seek accountability for the reported conditions.
In a joint letter on Monday, Democratic U.S. Representatives Marc Veasey, Jasmine Crockett, and Julie Johnson demanded “immediate answers” from ICE and DHS regarding the credible allegations of inhumane treatment at the Dallas field office.
Veasey, representing the district where the ICE office is situated, took to social media to express his concerns about the treatment of detainees.
The letter called for a formal response from the agency within ten business days, stressing the importance of the dignity of individuals fleeing violence and persecution.
“We urge your office to investigate these allegations without delay and provide a full account to my office,” the letter stated.
In the wake of these escalating concerns, both DHS and ICE spokespeople have remained mostly silent when approached for comments regarding the lawmakers’ demands.
Republican Senator John Cornyn indicated that he would require further information regarding the circumstances under which individuals were held for more than 12 hours.
However, requests for comments from Republican Senator Ted Cruz went unanswered following multiple inquiries.
Vecinos Unidos DFW also indicated it filed a complaint with the city of Dallas, seeking a code inspection of the field office.
Despite the concerns raised, the city’s 311 dashboard reflected that the case was closed on Monday, citing a lack of jurisdiction over the property.
As the situation unfolds, family members of those detained continue to grapple with navigating the immigration system while contending with the stress and uncertainty of their loved ones’ experiences.
Dykes shared his ongoing struggle to find affordable legal assistance, expressing hesitation in attending advocacy events due to fears of repercussions.
In a statement relayed through supporters during a vigil, Dykes reflected on the daunting reality of the current immigration system.
“It saddens me that you have to be scared of the government, but this is the world that we are living in,” Dykes remarked, expressing a hope for change to prevent further injustice faced by individuals like his husband.
image source from：dallasnews
