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A local 10th grader and his father were released from the family detention center in Dilley on Friday.
Fifteen-year-old Alejandro and his father Jairo were detained by federal officials last month as they were travelling to a soccer game. Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro visited the pair at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley on May 26. He announced their release on Friday afternoon.
Castro did not disclose the last name of the father and son. He said Alejandro missed the end of his sophomore year at Churchill High School, and the two are in the U.S. legally and were awaiting the outcome of their asylum claim in court.
During Castro’s visit last month there were 345 people, including 66 families and 97 children. This was his sixth congressional oversight visit to the facility, which has seen multiple protests against what many have called “inhumane treatment” of those being detained.
In an earlier press release, Castro referred to the facility as the “Dilley trailer prison” and has been a vocal critic of the government’s policies that have allowed them to detain children there. He says he has heard from detainees inside about experiences of poor food quality, difficult sleeping conditions, and lack of adequate schooling and medical care.
