Dilley, Texas — An 18-month-old toddler who suffered life-threatening respiratory failure was released from immigration detention Friday only hours after attorneys filed an emergency federal lawsuit challenging her continued confinement and lack of medical care.
According to the lawsuit, Amalia was hospitalized for 10 days in January at Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio after developing pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV, and severe respiratory distress while detained with her parents at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Medical records cited in court filings show her blood oxygen levels dropped into the 50s, requiring prolonged oxygen support and nutritional supplementation after she lost roughly 10 percent of her body weight.
Despite doctors warning that Amalia remained medically fragile, immigration authorities returned her to detention on Jan. 28. Attorneys allege that upon her return, facility staff confiscated her nebulizer, albuterol, and nutritional supplements, forcing her parents to wait hours daily in outdoor lines for medication that was repeatedly denied.
Legal advocates said repeated requests for the family’s release were ignored until a habeas corpus petition was filed in federal court on Feb. 7. The family was freed later that evening.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment on the case. CoreCivic, which operates the Dilley facility under federal contract, said it defers medical oversight questions to DHS while maintaining that detainee safety is a priority. Attorneys said the family plans to pursue asylum claims in the United States.
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