Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, recently visited a young child whose ongoing detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stirred controversy and criticism aimed at the Trump administration. As the current immigration crackdown draws scrutiny, Crockett and others are calling out the deplorable conditions under which people are being held.
Crockett calls out conditions at the detention center
Crockett, alongside Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, visited the Dilley Detention Center on Wednesday. They met with Adrian Conejo Arias and his 5-year-old son, Liam Ramos, who are among the thousands of immigrant families being detained at the facility. Ramos, whose detention by ICE has been the source of controversy, was transferred to the Texas facility along with his father after they were taken into custody in Minneapolis earlier this month. After her visit, Crockett said that Ramos had grown “depressed” in the facility, separated from his mother and having to survive with meager supplies such as a single set of clothes. “Imagine being a free-willed, loving kid, and all of a sudden, one day, you’re thrown on a plane, you’re sent 1,500 miles away from home, and you don’t understand what’s going on,” Crockett said in a news conference after her visit.
She also stated that she heard many stories of children going uneducated and becoming sick while being detained in the facility.
“I did criminal defense work, y’all. I’m here to tell you that the treatment that these people are suffering under right now is worse than those that are accused and sometimes even convicted of crimes,” Crockett told those assembled. She also urged her congressional colleagues to stand up to the Trump administration to effect changes.
“Stand up and show them what humanity looks like,” she urged.
Ramos was allegedly used as ‘bait’ in Minneapolis and is now sick in detention
Crockett’s comments echoed previous concerns about the poor state of the facility where Ramos and others are being held. As Blavity reported, Ramos was one of several children taken into custody during the ongoing, controversial federal immigration sweep in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security denied allegations that Ramos had been used as “bait” in an attempt to lure other family members out, and agents could take them into custody. DHS also disputed allegations that it targeted children in its raids. Nevertheless, the image of Ramos, wearing a hat with floppy ears and a backpack while being held in the custody of a federal agent, has come to symbolize the heavy-handed and cruel tactics employed by ICE and Border Patrol enforcement in Minnesota.
Crockett’s description of the conditions under which Ramos and others are living in detention adds to concern about the child and others like him. Erika Ramos told MPR News, “The situation of my husband Adrian and my son Liam inside the detention center is deeply concerning,” adding, “Liam is getting sick because the food they receive is not of good quality. He has stomach pain, he’s vomiting, he has a fever and he no longer wants to eat.” Eric Lee, an attorney representing other families in the Dilley Detention Center, called the facilities’ conditions “abysmal.”
Castro posted a picture of Liam lying in his father’s arms, writing, in part, “I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him.”
Castro and Crockett are using their positions as members of Congress to highlight the terrible conditions at the detention center in their home state of Texas. By visiting Ramos, they’re bringing attention to the case of a 5-year-old caught up in the harsh immigration tactics of the Trump administration and the many other children and parents who find themselves in similar situations.
The post Jasmine Crockett Describes ‘How Bad It Is’ After Visiting 5-Year-Old Liam Ramos In ICE Detention Facility appeared first on Blavity.
