‘MONSTROUS CRUELTY’

Two-Month-Old Fighting for Life Is Deported With Family

The baby did not receive proper healthcare at the detention center, according to Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro.

A baby facing life-threatening health issues has been deported, according to a Texas congressman.

Rep. Joaquin Castro said in an X post on Tuesday that 2-month-old Juan Nicolás, who was being detained at Dilley Detention Center and suffering from serious respiratory issues, was deported alongside his mother, father, and 16-month-old sister.

“They were abandoned across the border in Mexico,” Castro said, adding in a separate post and citing their attorney that “ICE deported the family with only the money that they had in their commissary—a total of $190."

When asked about the deportation, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Beast that the child’s mother “received full due process” and at the time of the removal, Nicolás was “in stable condition and medically cleared.” McLaughlin added that “Parents are given a choice to either take their child with them or place them in the care of someone they designate.”

In an earlier post, Castro said that the child was sick with bronchitis and, at some point in the last 24 hours, became unresponsive. “Juan was still discharged from the hospital despite that around midnight today,” Castro wrote.

The morning after his discharge, an immigration judge ruled that his mother would be deported but provided no information on when or to which location. After the ruling Castro said, “Both Juan and his mom are back at Dilley and their future remains uncertain.” Castro concluded the post harshly, stating, “His life is in danger because of ICE’s monstrous cruelty.”

A DHS spokesperson earlier told the Daily Beast that, “Hospital staff found the child’s condition stable, and he remained alert and responsive during the evaluation. The hospital did not admit him, and he has since returned to Dilley where medical personnel continue to monitor his health. He is in stable condition alert and responsive and continues to receive proper care.”

According to previous posts by the congressman calling attention to the child’s health, Nicolás has suffered from respiratory issues and vomiting since his detainment. The baby has been at the Dilley Detention Center for three-and-a-half weeks, or nearly half of his life.

On a Feb. 16 post. Castro stated that, according to the family, they have sought medical care for Juan in the past but have been unable to obtain it due to a lack of doctors. Castro said that he had not seen a single doctor or nurse in a previous visit to the detention center’s medical wing.

The Daily Beast has reached out to Castro for comment. He did not immediately respond.

Nicolás was being held with his mother at a center by the controversial detainment center operator CoreCivic. The detention center at Dilley has been advertised as a “family detention center,” one in which those like Juan and his mother can stay together while undergoing deportation proceedings.

According to earlier reporting by ProPublica, some children at the facility have allegedly committed forms of self-harm, like cutting, or have exhibited suicidal ideation. “Since I got to this Center, all you feel is sadness and mostly depression,” a 14-year-old named Ariana wrote in a handwritten letter published by ProPublica.

It’s also become infamous for dangerous health conditions as the population of the center in Dilley has ramped up alongside the Trump administration’s campaign to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

Nicolás’s case isn’t the first time CoreCivic has been scrutinized for its detainees’ lack of access to medical care.

The company has been under fire from advocates and legislators like Castro for its reported treatment of its child detainees and a recent outbreak of Measles in the center. RAICES, a legal advocacy group that assists some of those detained in Dilley, said it has received more than 700 complaints since August 2025 about delays in medical care.

The New York Times reported on a case of a child going partly deaf in one ear due to a lack of medical care for an earlier earache. In another instance, a woman hemorrhaging blood was only given care after begging and providing proof of her bloody pads. It took nearly a month for her to receive proper medication.

When asked for comment, CoreCivic told the Daily Beast, “The health and safety of those entrusted to our care is the top priority for CoreCivic. This commitment is shared by our government partners at ICE, and we work closely with them to ensure the well-being of everyone in our care.”

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​They also added that they did not have information to provide about Juan’s individual case. “CoreCivic does not enforce immigration laws, arrest anyone who may be in violation of immigration laws, or have any say whatsoever in an individual’s deportation or release,” their Senior Director of Public Affairs, Ryan Gustin, told the Daily Beast.

When The New York Times previously reached out to DHS for comment on the health issues in CoreCivic facilities, a DHS spokesperson said, “This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives.” It was a statement DHS repeated to The Daily Beast.

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