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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 or used as part of an enforcement tactic. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said ICE agents were attempting to arrest the boy’s father, not the child.
“ICE did not target a child,” McLaughlin said in a statement posted on X. She said agents approached the father, who then ran, leaving his son behind. According to McLaughlin, one officer remained with the five-year-old “to ensure his safety” while other agents apprehended the father.
McLaughlin also disputed claims that the child was used to lure anyone from the home, calling those accounts “categorically false.” She said ICE officers are instructed to prioritize child safety during enforcement actions and that parents are typically given options during custody decisions.
“Parents are given the choice to remain with their children or designate a safe caregiver,” McLaughlin said, adding that keeping families together in detention is intended to avoid separation during immigration proceedings.
DHS officials have said the boy’s mother was not detained during the enforcement action. Advocates, however, say separating a child from one parent and transferring the family hundreds of miles away still raises serious concerns about trauma, access to legal counsel, and the well-being of young children.
The Dilley facility closed in 2024 but reopened last year.
The family is from Ecuador and entered the U.S. in 2024 to seek asylum. The five-year-old boy and his father both have pending immigration court cases and are not currently subject to deportation orders. Government records obtained by CBS News indicate an immigration judge has not yet ruled on their cases, which were docketed in December.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
