Dozens Protest Outside Dallas ICE Office Over 'Inhumane' Claims

Community Members Speak Out Against Conditions at ICE Facility in Dallas

Several family members with loved ones detained at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas are raising concerns about the conditions inside the facility, calling them “inhumane.” On Sunday evening, community members gathered outside the building to hold a vigil, aiming to draw attention to the treatment of those held in custody.

“We’re here today for several reasons, the first being to bear witness and acknowledge what our neighbors have worked so hard to tell us, to reach us from inside that room where inhumane conditions are being manufactured by ICE in order to produce signed deportations,” said Noemi, a volunteer with Vecinos Unidos, Neighbors United, DFW, a grassroots organization focused on supporting local communities.

During the event, people held signs, chanted, and gave speeches outside the building near I-35 in Dallas. Gabriela Perez, a high school graduate planning to attend Texas State University in the fall, shared her experience after her father, uncle, and cousins were detained last week in Fort Worth.

“I’m here fighting for my dad’s rights, fighting for my uncle’s rights, fighting for everybody’s rights,” said Perez. “I’m here trying to bring light to what’s happening in this place to show everyone that it’s worth speaking out for your family members or for any other person that you know who are going through situations like these.”

Perez explained that her father was picked up by immigration agents while he and his brothers and nephews were on their way to work. “He was forced to get out of the car with no type of warrant or anything,” she claimed. Her father has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years but is originally from Guatemala. She had been working to help him gain citizenship.

According to Perez, her father and cousins were taken to the Dallas facility for intake, then transferred to a detention center in South Texas. Her uncle was sent to a location in Alvarado. “We talked to him Wednesday night because he told us that he was forced to sign his deportation papers because the agent had told them that he had no type of bond,” said Perez. “I’m just scared that I won’t be able to see my dad again, my uncle, and my cousins.”

Sandra Avalas, another volunteer with Vecinos Unidos DFW, shared how Gabby reached out to the group to highlight the situation. “She wanted folks to know that in fact things are happening inside and inhumane treatment is happening inside,” Avalas said.

Two women, who asked NBC 5 to conceal their identities to protect their spouses, shared similar stories. They said their husbands were detained during routine ICE check-ins within the last week and held at the field office for days. One woman described the conditions: “They were crowded, there were around 30 people in a single cell, they couldn’t bathe, and they were only given frozen food.” The other added, “There are no beds or chairs. It’s a room with a toilet seat where everyone has to turn around when someone wants to relieve themselves.”

Response from ICE Officials

Late Friday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement addressing the claims. “ICE has legal authority to temporarily house illegal aliens while they are being processed after their arrest. Any allegations that these processing centers do not have beds, running water, or other basic essentials are FALSE. ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously.”

McLaughlin emphasized that ICE provides comprehensive medical care, including medical, dental, and mental health screening within 12 hours of arrival at each detention facility. She also noted that facilities are regularly audited and inspected to ensure compliance with national detention standards.

However, community members expressed skepticism about the statement. “It’s a tactic for them to deny. It’s a tactic for them to gaslight us, and you know, making us believe this is not happening,” said Avalas. “We know for a fact that it is. We’re receiving calls from family members, we’re receiving calls from loved ones on the conditions.”

Avalas shared accounts from individuals describing the harsh conditions. “Some of them share how they’re down in their undergarments because of how hot it is in there. How they don’t know what time it is. Some of them don’t have spaces where there are windows, so they don’t know what day or time it is. Imagine that in the U.S. facility that we are having humans like this with no criminal background. The only thing that we’re doing is that we’re doing a check-in.”