A Canadian mother, Tania Warner, has spoken out about the harsh realities inside US immigration detention after she and her seven-year-old daughter were held for nearly three weeks by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE in Texas facilities described as unsafe and degrading.
Warner said detainees, many of whom had committed no crimes, were “suffering greatly” under policies linked to former US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The pair were initially held at the Rio Grande Valley Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, before being transferred to the Dilley Detention Center, which has faced criticism over inadequate healthcare, food shortages and reported measles cases.
A recent report by Human Rights First and RAICES highlighted widespread abuses, including prolonged detention of families and pressure to abandon asylum claims.
Warner, who maintains her documents are valid, said she was repeatedly urged to self-deport while in custody. She and her daughter, who was recently diagnosed with autism, were detained after a routine checkpoint stop in Texas and later released on a $9,500 bond.
Despite their release, the family now faces ongoing monitoring, travel restrictions and the threat of deportation, with Warner expressing fear of being detained again as she prepares for mandatory check-ins with authorities.
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