Texas lawmakers to visit ICE facility in Dilley; Rep. Castro to meet with 5-year-old, father detained in Minnesota

SAN ANTONIO – Texas lawmakers and community advocates on Wednesday will travel to Dilley, where a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father are being held at a family detention facility.

Rep. Joaquin Castro is expected to meet with Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander, who were detained last week in Minnesota in an incident that further inflamed divisions on immigration under the Trump administration.

A vigil and march to that facility are also planned for Wednesday morning.

MAP OF MARCH ROUTE

After the visit, Castro will host a press conference in San Antonio to call on the Department of Homeland Security to release Liam and his father. Community leaders, faith representatives and elected officials will make remarks, including Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, State Reps. Gina Hinojosa, Trey Martinez Fischer and Diego Bernal.

The conference is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. outside San Antonio City Hall, according to a news release.

KSAT will livestream the press conference. Delays are possible; if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.

Speakers will address what they believe to be the harmful and unlawful immigration enforcement actions occurring in neighborhoods, schools, courthouses and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-ins that have led to increased detentions.

KSAT has previously reported on immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission who, after appearing for scheduled immigration court hearings, were immediately detained outside the courthouse by ICE officers.

In May 2025, ICE told KSAT 12 that officers have the authority to arrest immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission, even outside of court hearings.

Lawsuit alleges unsafe conditions at Dilley detention center

The press release said attorneys and advocates have raised alarms about allegations of unsafe conditions at the Dilley family detention center.

Eric Lee, partner at Lee & Godshall-Bennett LLP, will read a letter from a child currently detained at Dilley during the news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Last year, KSAT Investigates reported on a lawsuit alleging inhuman conditions inside the facility, including issues with food, water and medical care.

Immigration attorneys with clients in the facility told KSAT last week that it has not changed.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) said he was blocked from inspecting the Dilley detention center last week, but met with recent detainees and “heard about inhumane conditions within the facility.”

Last Friday, Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district includes the Dilley center, said he has seen the “state-of-the-art facilities” himself.

“I’ve been there & seen the state-of-the-art facilities & protocols that (ICE) follows,” Gonzales, a Republican, said in the X post. “Our ICE agents & CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) personnel are doing their jobs.”

KSAT has reached out to Gonzales for an interview. He has not yet responded to our request.

KSAT also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security four times to ask about the recent protest at Dilley this past Saturday and the allegations of inhumane conditions. A spokeswoman did not respond to our request by the deadline.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson recently told KSAT in a statement that ICE officers “are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults as cowardly politicians and activists encourage violence against them.”

Read more on KSAT:

• Immigration attorney describes protest inside Dilley detention facility
• Public comments span 5 hours at San Antonio City Council meeting on ICE cooperation
• Man charged after ramming ICE vehicles on North Side was in the US legally, father says