Two-year-old held by ICE sick and not getting adequate care, Democrat warns

Key Points:

• Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman, reported that a two-year-old boy named Kaleth detained at the Dilley, Texas family detention center is sick with a fever and not receiving adequate medical care or proper food, which detainees have complained contains mold and worms.
• Castro criticized ICE staff for dismissing the child's condition as "mental" and called for the immediate shutdown of the Dilley facility, highlighting ongoing concerns about inhumane treatment and poor conditions at the center.
• The South Texas Family Residential Center, operated by CoreCivic on behalf of ICE, has faced allegations of inadequate care, including previous measles cases, shortages of clean water, sleep deprivation, and lack of hygiene supplies for detained families.
• CoreCivic denies claims of poor conditions, asserting that healthcare is available and the health and safety of detainees is a top priority, while critics emphasize the facility's "prison-like" environment and the use of the term "inmates" for detainees who are not criminals.
• Castro has urged ICE to provide proper medical care for Kaleth and release him and his mother immediately, framing the issue within a broader critique of the U.S. immigration system's treatment of children and families.