Calls for Closure of ICE Facility in Texas
Pedro Pascal, Madonna, Mark Ruffalo, and numerous others have voiced their concerns regarding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility located in Texas. An open letter signed by various Hollywood figures proclaims, “Children’s place is in schools and playgrounds, not in jails.”
“Children should not be locked up in immigration detention centers,” states a petition on Change.org, which demands the “immediate closure of the Dilley Immigration Detention Center,” a facility aimed at housing families. It highlights the broader goal of “ending child and family detention” entirely.
This letter, endorsed by other notable personalities like Javier Bardem, John Legend, Elliot Page, and Jane Fonda, asserts that children held in these facilities endure “trauma” and “neglect,” violating essential health, safety, dignity, and human rights standards.
Concerns outlined in the petition detail allegations of abuse, including a lack of clean water, spoiled food contaminated with parasites, severe medical neglect, sleep deprivation, and the separation of children from their families, along with retaliation against those who raise complaints about the conditions.
The letter urges both the federal government and CoreCivic to “immediately close the Dilley facility, return children and families to their homes and communities, and cease incarcerating children altogether.”
“Our work does not end with closure. We demand transparency, accountability, and systemic reform to ensure these abuses no longer occur anywhere in the United States,” the petition concludes.
Other signatories feature Billy Porter, America Ferrera, Brandi Carlile, Hannah Einbinder, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Wunmi Mosaku, Keke Palmer, Hasan Minhaj, Katie Couric, and Susan Sarandon.
The petition originated from YouTuber Rachel Ann Accurso, known as Ms. Rachel, who recently shifted her focus from supporting the Hamas-led Palestinian cause to targeting President Donald Trump and ICE.
Interestingly, Rachel became aware of the Dilley facility earlier this year after a photo of a 5-year-old, Liam Conejo Ramos, wearing a blue bunny hat, gained significant attention online. According to reports, this image was linked to claims that ICE agents had arrested Ramos in Minneapolis.
The controversy intensified after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) shared a local news article referencing a school superintendent’s suggestion that ICE claim custody of a child being driven to school by an undocumented parent.
ICE agents clarified they had no choice but to stay with Ramos after his undocumented father left the child unattended during a police encounter. “We did a little more follow-up and found out that the 5-year-old was not arrested,” stated Vice President J.D. Vance at a January news conference. “So what should they do? Should they freeze a five-year-old to death?”
Vance further elaborated, “If the argument is that you can’t arrest someone who violates the law because they have a child, then all parents would effectively have immunity from law enforcement. That just doesn’t make sense.”
