A shocking lawsuit has alleged that a toddler detained by US immigration authorities nearly died after being denied proper medication and medical care while in custody. The legal challenge details a harrowing ordeal for the child, identified as Amalia, who was held with her parents at a facility in Dilley, Texas.
Life-Threatening Illness in Detention
According to the lawsuit, Amalia developed a severe fever of 40C (104F) on New Year's Day, accompanied by vomiting, diarrhoea, and breathing difficulties. Her parents reportedly took her to the facility's medical clinic eight or nine times, but each visit resulted only in basic fever medication being administered.
By mid-January, her condition had deteriorated critically, with blood oxygen levels dropping to life-threatening lows. Only at this point was she transferred to Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio, where she remained under constant guard by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents alongside her mother.
Multiple Diagnoses and Continued Neglect
Medical examinations at the hospital revealed Amalia was suffering from COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, viral bronchitis, and pneumonia. She required supplemental oxygen treatment during her ten-day hospital stay.
Despite these serious conditions, she was returned to the Dilley detention facility, which was experiencing a measles outbreak at the time. The lawsuit claims that upon return:
- She had lost 10% of her body weight
- Essential medications including a nebulizer and respiratory drugs were confiscated
- Nutritional drinks prescribed by doctors were seized
"Pill Line" Queues and Denied Prescriptions
The family was forced to queue for hours daily in what has been described as a "pill line," waiting in cold conditions only to be denied the medications doctors had specifically prescribed for Amalia's recovery.
Medical experts who reviewed the case cautioned against returning the child to detention, with one physician warning of a "high risk for medical decompensation and death."
Release After Emergency Legal Challenge
The family was only released last Friday following an emergency legal challenge filed by Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor who leads its Immigrants' Rights Clinic. Ms Mukherjee revealed that ICE had still not returned the toddler's prescriptions or birth certificate following their release.
"Baby Amalia should never have been detained. She nearly died at Dilley," Ms Mukherjee stated emphatically.
Background of the Detained Family
Amalia's parents, Kheilin Valero Marcano and Stiven Arrieta Prieto, entered the United States in 2024 after fleeing political persecution in Venezuela. Their daughter was born in Mexico during their journey northward, and the family had been complying with all immigration requirements, regularly checking in with authorities before their detention.
Their detention occurred during one such routine check-in, after which they were transported more than 500 miles to the Dilley facility in Texas.
Calls for Broader Release and Facility Conditions
Ms Mukherjee has called for the release of hundreds of other children and families detained at Dilley, citing inadequate conditions including:
- Insufficient drinking water supplies
- Lack of healthy food options
- Absence of educational provisions
- Inadequate medical care facilities
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for comment regarding these allegations. CoreCivic, the private company contracted to operate the Dilley facility, referred questions to DHS but issued a statement emphasising that "the health and safety of those entrusted to our care is our greatest priority."
This case emerges amid ongoing deportation drives under the current administration, highlighting continuing concerns about treatment of asylum-seeking families in US immigration detention facilities.
