Two-Month-Old Baby Detained by ICE Ends Up in Hospital

A 2-month-old baby at an ICE detention center in Texas had to be hospitalized late Monday night because a doctor wasn’t available at the facility.

Juan Nicolás, held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, 71 miles from San Antonio, has been suffering from respiratory problems for nearly half of his life— the one month he has spent in detention with his mother. Over the weekend, Nicolás was reportedly choking on his own vomit and had a medical episode at 3 a.m. Sunday.

Texas Representative Joaquin Castro has been pushing for Nicolás’s release, having visited the CoreCivic-run facility late last month and noticing that its on-site clinic was empty and unstaffed in the afternoon that he was there.

“His life is in danger,” Castro said in a live Instagram video Monday afternoon, noting that a 7-year-old girl had been released from Dilley but not Nicolás. “They couldn’t take him to a doctor, because there weren’t any doctors in the early morning hours at Dilley.”

Univision’s Lidia Terrezas reported that Nicolás was taken to the hospital, but there have been no updates on his condition. He’s being held with his mother at a South Texas hospital, guarded by armed federal agents. It’s better than the facility in Dilley, which is known to be unsanitary. Mothers reportedly have issues getting clean water for formula, and measles shut down the facility over two weeks ago. Despite Castro’s best efforts, there’s no word on whether Nicolás will have to go back to Dilley if and when he recovers.

Univision’s Lidia Terrezas confirmed that Nicolás was taken to the hospital, but didn’t have any  updates on his condition. He was initially held with his mother at a south Texas hospital, guarded by armed federal agents. It’s better than the facility in Dilley, which is known to be unsanitary. Mothers reportedly have issues getting clean water for formula and measles shut down the facility over two weeks ago. 

In an update Tuesday afternoon, Castro posted that Nicolás has bronchitis, according to his mother, and was unresponsive at some point in the last few hours. He was still discharged from the hospital at about midnight Tuesday. Nicolás’s mother still had to appear before an immigration judge Tuesday, who told her that she will be deported, but didn’t say when or to where. 

“Both Juan and his mom are back at Dilley and their future remains uncertain. We are all deeply concerned that Juan and his mom will be deported and that Juan’s health will continue to deteriorate,” Castro posted. “His life is in danger because of ICE’s monstrous cruelty. I will continue to provide updates and we will keep fighting to protect them.”  

This story has been updated.