Today, Explained The kids in ICE detention
21 snips
Mar 11, 2026 
Micah Rosenberg, investigative reporter at ProPublica who documented family detention at Dilley, narrates firsthand interviews and case details. He recounts Ariana’s sudden arrest and life inside Dilley. Children describe fear, illness, overcrowding, and limited schooling. Reporting covers legal tensions over Flores, administration rule changes, protests, releases with no clear pattern, and emotional impacts on families.
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Ariana's Routine Check In Led To Family Detention
- Ariana, 14, from Honduras, had lived in the U.S. for nearly seven years and was detained after a routine ICE check-in in Manhattan and flown to Dilley.
- Her mother has U.S. citizen children who were left behind because Dilley cannot hold U.S. citizens, causing family separation trauma.
Dilley Reopened For Families After 2024 Election
- Dilley is the nation's only operating family immigration detention center and was reopened after Trump's 2024 election despite Biden-era family detention ending in 2021.
- Many detained are long-term U.S. residents swept up in broad immigration arrests nationwide.
Kids' Letters Reveal Fear And Health Problems
- Children at Dilley wrote letters describing confusion, fear, and physical symptoms like fainting and poor sleep while saying they weren't criminals.
- Examples include a 9-year-old who fainted twice and a 7-year-old who misses home and school, highlighting children's distress.