Immigrant Children at Texas Detention Facility Forced to Buy Bottled Water, Attorneys Say

Attorneys representing immigrant families say children at a Texas detention facility are being forced to buy bottled water because the tap supply is persistently cloudy, smells strange, and causes stomach problems.

The allegations were filed as part of ongoing litigation over the government's attempt to end the Flores Settlement Agreement, which requires safe and sanitary conditions for children in federal custody.

The facility in Dilley, Texas, reopened in March and now houses families detained across the country, many of whom were taken into custody after appearing for immigration hearings or ICE check-ins, according to court documents. As a report from ABC News explains, families told lawyers the commissary charges $1.21 per bottle of water, alongside other costs such as $5.73 for deodorant, $1.44 for soap, and $2.39 for toothpaste.

"I have never heard until now of children having to buy water," said Leecia Welch, deputy legal director at Children's Rights, in a statement shared with the Associated Press.

The reports also describe delayed medical responses, including one child with appendicitis who was not taken to a hospital until he vomited after hours of waiting and another child with a broken arm who waited two hours for an X-ray. Parents told attorneys there are no organized activities for children, with only about an hour of workbook instruction each day.

Similar accounts surfaced in June, when advocates filed a motion citing families at both the Dilley facility and the Karnes County one. Testimonies at that time described adults pushing children aside to reach limited supplies of bottled water, a 9-month-old with diarrhea after being given tap water in formula, and a 12-year-old with a blood condition denied further medical testing despite inflamed feet.

Advocates say the Flores Settlement is crucial for ensuring transparency and access to detention centers, warning that without it, lawyers and child welfare experts would lose the ability to monitor conditions. "At a time when Congress is considering funding the indefinite detention of children and families, defending the Flores Settlement is more urgent than ever," said Mishan Wroe, a senior attorney with the National Center for Youth Law, to The Associated Press.

Government data submitted to U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles showed that the average detention time for children in Customs and Border Protection custody dropped from six to five days in June and July, with most spending under 72 hours. But attorneys argue that some children remain detained for weeks or months without justification.

The lawsuit challenging the government's attempt to terminate the Flores agreement is ongoing.