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A five-year-old boy and his father who were detained by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota are now being held at the South Texas Family Detention Center in Dilley, roughly 70 miles southwest of San Antonio, according to attorneys and members of Congress.
The transfer has drawn growing national attention, with lawmakers and immigrant rights advocates calling for the child’s release while federal officials defend the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro said his office has been pressing federal authorities for information and urging ICE to release the boy.
“My staff and I have been working to make sure that this young boy is safe and to demand his release by ICE,” Castro said in a video posted to social media. He also criticized what he described as a lack of transparency from immigration officials.
Concerns about transparency intensified this week after U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he was denied entry to the Dilley facility while attempting to conduct congressional oversight. Murphy said federal authorities blocked his visit despite providing advance notice.
“Members of Congress have a constitutional right to inspect these facilities, and a clear statutory right as well,” Murphy said in a statement. “The fact they denied me access even with 24 hours’ notice should make everybody deeply fearful of what is happening inside this facility and facilities like it.”
School officials and community leaders in Minnesota have also raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding the boy’s detention, saying the incident caused distress among children and families in the community.
The Department of Homeland Security rejected claims that the child was targeted. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said ICE was attempting to arrest the boy’s father, who ran as agents approached, and that an officer remained with the child to ensure his safety.
The case has revived scrutiny of federal immigration policies involving children. During President Donald Trump’s first term, a “zero tolerance” policy led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents at the U.S.–Mexico border, prompting widespread backlash and court challenges. While the boy in this case is being detained with his father, advocates say cases involving young children remain especially sensitive because of that history and the documented harm caused by family detention.
The Dilley facility closed in 2024 but reopened last year. ICE has not commented further on this case beyond the DHS statement.
