Representative Tony Gonzales shared a 34-second video he says demonstrates that children at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center have supervised access to computers, classroom activities and play areas. Gonzales accused Democrats of political 'grandstanding' and defended ICE procedures. Senator Chris Murphy said he was denied entry after 24 hours' notice and reported meeting families detained for over a month whose children were frightened. The clip highlights competing narratives about conditions inside family detention facilities.
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales Posts Video From Dilley ICE Center, Calls Democratic Criticism 'Grandstanding'
Signage Thursday at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas.(Reuters)
Representative Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) posted a short video he says shows children at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center receiving supervised access to computers, classroom instruction and outdoor recreation. The 34-second clip, shared on X, depicts various activity areas inside the facility, which is one of the few U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sites that house families.
What the Video Shows
The footage includes children using computers in a library area, reading at tables, participating in classroom-like settings with apparent adult supervision, and playing games and sports in indoor and outdoor play spaces. Gonzales wrote that the facility follows 'state-of-the-art facilities and protocols' and defended the work of ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, on Friday released a video taken of children at an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas, where they were seen playing, learning in a classroom and using computers in a library.
Gonzales' Response to Critics
'This notion that they're in cages, that they're mistreated and all these other things is a flat-out lie,' Gonzales told Fox News Digital. 'It's easy to talk about a problem and then only talk about the parts that are emotional or the ones that you want to use for your political gain.'
Gonzales also said he routinely visits detention centers in his district and has hosted tours for many congressional colleagues. He characterized recent Democratic visits and criticism as political 'grandstanding' and said Democratic lawmakers were largely absent from these facilities during the Biden administration, when some centers experienced space constraints.
Opposing View: Congressional Access and Family Accounts
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said he was denied entry to the Dilley center despite giving 24 hours' notice, and described the denial as 'astonishing.' Murphy suggested restrictions on access raise questions about transparency and posted a separate video recounting meetings with two families who had been detained for more than a month; he said the children were left frightened by the experience.
Kids using computers at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas.
Context
The exchange between Gonzales and Democratic lawmakers comes amid longstanding, heated debate over conditions in ICE facilities. Many Democrats and advocacy groups have alleged that children in some detention settings have been confined in inhumane conditions, while some Republican officials and facility tours like Gonzales' emphasize available services and supervision. The short video posted by Gonzales represents one view of conditions at the Dilley facility but does not address longer-term experiences reported by some detainees and advocates.
Sources: Video posted by Rep. Tony Gonzales on X; comments to Fox News Digital; statements and video from Sen. Chris Murphy.
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