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Valerie Gonzalez

@valontheborder.bsky.social
1.1K followers 121 following 101 posts

Journalist with the Associated Press working in South Texas. Bilingüe.

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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“If it continues for a long enough period of time, then it could therefore lead to increased prices, because we are not processing the amount of beef that consumers are currently demanding,” the VP of communications for Kansas Livestock Association said. apnews.com/article/meat...
apnews.com
Meatpacking groups say ICE arrests could lead to higher prices and revenue loss
Meatpacking industry groups are raising concerns about recent immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
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National Immigrant Justice Center @immigrantjustice.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
“El tribunal ordenó su expulsión a pesar de que estaban presentes”, explicó Alex McGriff, del NIJC a @apnews.com @valontheborder.bsky.social Algunas personas han recibido ordenes de deportacion estando DENTRO del edificio en donde se encuentra el tribunal de inmigracion de Chicago:
apnews.com
Ritmo vertiginoso en tribunales migratorios de EEUU aumenta las órdenes de deportación
HARLINGEN, Texas, EE.UU. (AP) — El gobierno de Donald Trump está abarrotando las salas de los tribunales de inmigración y reduciendo los tiempos de preaviso para las vistas en un esfuerzo por eliminar...
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National Immigrant Justice Center @immigrantjustice.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“The court ordered them removed despite the fact that they were not absent,” said NIJC attorney Alex McGriff to @apnews.com @valontheborder.bsky.social People are being issued deportation orders for failing to appear even while they're INSIDE the Chicago immigration court building seeking help.
apnews.com
Breakneck pace in immigration courts is driving up deportation orders
The Trump administration is packing immigration courtrooms and giving less lead-time on hearings in an effort to clear a decades-long backlog.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The confusion came a day after the Office of Refugee Resettlement sent out emails informally asking attorneys under the expired federal contract for contact information and sensitive personal identification number for the immigrant children they represent.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
NEW: Scenes of chaos reported today in immigration courtrooms after attorneys are showing up claiming the Trump administration asked them to take over the children’s cases, without having given prior notice to the judge, attorney of record or child. apnews.com/article/migr...
apnews.com
A $150M contract for migrant kids’ lawyers goes to a Trump-linked Texas firm, raising concerns
Legal aid groups are raising concerns after the Trump administration awarded a $150 million contract to a small Texas law firm with limited experience in immigration law.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Latest: Trump administration plans to award a $150M contract to Houston based law firm with ties to administration. The contract is set to run for a year and provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant kids, just days after contract with network expired. apnews.com/live/trump-n...
apnews.com
Live updates: Senate panel advances Blanche’s nomination for attorney general
Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general was advanced by a Senate committee Tuesday after he rescinded a $1.8 billion fund for President Donald Trump’s political allies.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
NEW: The Trump administration is packing immigration courts and giving less notice ahead of hearings in an effort to clear the backlog. Data shows a historic rise in people missing court and ordered deported as the system struggles to keep up. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Breakneck pace in immigration courts is driving up deportation orders
The Trump administration is packing immigration courtrooms and giving less lead-time on hearings in an effort to clear a decades-long backlog.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: Advocates warn thousands of migrant children who came to the U.S. alone could lose legal representation in immigration court and increase their risk of deportation as the Trump administration allows a contract with legal services providers to expire. apnews.com/article/migr...
apnews.com
Thousands of migrant children in the US could face new deportation risks as legal aid deal expires
Migrant children who came to the U.S. alone could soon face immigration court without legal representation.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
New: An RGV mother deported to Mexico despite having DACA filed a lawsuit against the federal government after it notified her it would be terminating her DACA status because of “unauthorized travel” stemming from her deportation. apnews.com/article/daca...
apnews.com
US cites 'unauthorized travel' to end DACA status for a mother of 3 deported to Mexico
A woman deported to Mexico despite having legal permission to remain in the U.S. has filed suit against the federal government.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a nun arrested on a Sunday morning walking to mass in McAllen, TX, in June, showed up to her ICE check-in today. Her attorney, Carlos M. Garcia, said no ankle monitor was placed but government is still pursuing a third country removal. Context: apnews.com/video/nun-wh...
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Black Intellect Media @blackintellect.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas. Reporting by @valontheborder.bsky.social apnews.com/article/nun-...
apnews.com
Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas
A nun who was taken into immigration custody last month in Texas is speaking out for the first time about her arrest while walking to Mass.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
More than 600 border buoys, most owned by DHS and some from TX, went adrift along the Rio Grande after floodwaters swept them up Thursday. Most were captured, but residents worry about the damage these buoys, some weighing 1K lbs., could do to international bridges. apnews.com/article/texa...
apnews.com
Texas floods have left high waters and a big cleanup job after hundreds of people are rescued
First responders in storm-battered Texas are again rushing to people trapped in high waters after more heavy rain widened the danger from floods that have killed at least two people and left hundreds ...
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 29/06/2026
BREAKING: More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the U.S. hours before the earthquakes are missing after their hotel collapsed.
bit.ly
More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing
Survivors say more than 100 people just deported from the United States were being held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, setting off a scramble to find survivors and bodies buried in the rubble.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
A nun was released from immigration custody after she was arrested walking to Mass in her habit in South Texas. apnews.com/article/nun-...
apnews.com
ICE releases a Texas nun intercepted walking to church dressed in her habit
Diocese officials in south Texas say a nun walking to church dressed in her habit was detained by ICE officers and later released after members of Congress intervened.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
NEW: A Democratic U.S. senator warns the Trump administration is getting ready to round up 500 immigrant children in a hasty effort to remove them from the country, bypassing legal protections. It would be their second attempt. Story with AP’s Rebecca Santana. apnews.com/853585bc4efd...
apnews.com
US Senator warns of administration plan to hastily remove over 500 unaccompanied migrant children
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic U.S. senator warns the Trump administration is getting ready to round up 500 immigrant children in a hasty effort to remove them from the country, bypassing legal protec...
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
NEW: Organizations that give legal assistance to children who came to the U.S. alone said agents from ICE and HHS tried to enter their offices in what the groups described as part of a campaign to intimidate legal services providers. At least three received these visits. apnews.com/article/bord...
apnews.com
Legal groups that help migrant children say law enforcement visits were attempt at intimidation
Organizations providing legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children say agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Health and Human Services attempted to enter their offices.
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Eviction Lab @evictionlab.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
“The impact was not limited to undocumented immigrants, but really to immigrants who are here legally as well as people within their families who are citizens.” apnews.com/article/immi... By @valontheborder.bsky.social
apnews.com
A Texas town may offer a preview of a Trump plan to force noncitizens from public housing
A bungled message from a South Texas housing authority prompted mass flight. The situation in Port Isabel offers a glimpse of what could happen nationwide if a Trump administration proposal takes…
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
So many talented and experienced reporters were laid off. My heart feels heavy for my colleagues who gave so much of themselves for such a quick exit.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which advocates for low-income families, estimates 79,600 people could be forced to leave their homes, with a disproportionate impact on children and Latinos. HUD collected public comments. If finalized, the rule will likely face legal challenges.
Two sisters play alone at Port Isabel Housing Authority playground after dozens of families self-evicted following bungled message from housing authority.A plastic dollhouse sits in a pile of hastily discarded furniture on the curb of a Port Isabel Housing Authority subdivision after large exodus.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
PIHA asked for two things HUD does not yet require them to demand from residents: -citizenship documentation only -docs from assistance-ineligible residents A follow-up letter tried walking it back, but it was too late. PIHA occupancy rate plummeted from 91% to 43%. The national avg. is 94%.
Chart show how occupancy rate at Port Isabel fell from 91% before the letter was sent to 43% in May.Chart show how occupancy rate at Port Isabel fell from 91% before the letter was sent to 43% in May.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
NEW: Port Isabel Housing Authority bungled a message to residents in Feb. indicating a proposal ending housing assistance to mixed-status families would be taking effect. What happened there could be a glimpse of the nationwide impact if the rule takes effect. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
A Texas town may offer a preview of a Trump plan to force noncitizens from public housing
A bungled message from a South Texas housing authority prompted mass flight. The situation in Port Isabel offers a glimpse of what could happen nationwide if a Trump administration proposal takes effe...
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
New: Three years after her 8 year old daughter died in CBP custody, her mom takes medication to help her fall asleep after feeling her daughter’s body go limp in her arms. Today the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a wrongful death lawsuit. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
Family sues US over 8-year-old's death in custody after crossing the border
A Honduran family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government after their 8-year-old girl with a heart condition died in federal custody after crossing the border in 2023.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Attorneys at ProBar, which represented the 3-year-old child, have prepared 8 cases this year, something they hadn’t done before. The kids represented in those cases have been held in federal custody an average of 225 days.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Average custody times for children in ORR grew from 37 days when Trump took office in Jan. 2025 to almost 200 days in February. Now attorneys are turning to emergency civil lawsuits, or habeas corpus petitions, to prompt releases.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
The father, a legal permanent resident, filed his sponsorship application. What could’ve taken days, took months. Advocates point to a shift in policies under Trump that has increased the time children spend in custody drastically.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
NEW: An immigrant dad waited 5 mts for a fingerprinting appt required to reunite with his daughter. In that time, the toddler was sexually abused in government care. “I just think that if they would have moved faster, nothing like that would have happened,” the dad said. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
3-year-old immigrant suffered alleged sexual abuse during months in federal custody, family says
An immigrant family is grappling with the ordeal suffered by a 3-year-old girl who endured alleged sexual abuse while her father fought for five months for her release from federal custody.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
NEW: A Senate report estimates it costs the U.S. $413,000 to send a deportee to Eswatini, a small African country participating in third-country deportations. A detainee released today said they were flown in a private jet to a prison with few resources. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
Cambodian man deported by the US to Eswatini is being repatriated, his lawyer says
A lawyer for a Cambodian man deported by the United States to the African kingdom of Eswatini says he has been released from a prison to be repatriated.
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Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The Gámez-Cuéllar family has been reunited.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
McAllen ISD students and their parents are waiting to welcome the Gamez Cuéllar brothers with open arms back home.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Rep. Monica de la Cruz, GOP Dist. 15, who escorted Antonio out, said: “I challenge my colleagues to work together for new enforcement policies that not only secure our border but make safer communities and that ultimately are common sense. These two things do not have to be in contradiction.”
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The 18 year old Mariachi band member, Antonio Gamez-Cuéllar was released this afternoon after his family was detained by ICE last week. He was held separately from his family at a detention center in Raymondville, Texas. He’s seen here in the maroon shirt. Story: apnews.com/article/immi...
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Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The Gámez-Cuéllar family has been released from Dilley! We just picked them up.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
It’s now past 7 pm and the long lines seen all day at McAllen’s Lark Community Center are closed but anyone in line will get to vote. Voters have averaged an hour to an hour and a half waiting to cast their ballots.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Story in collaboration with @garanceburke.bsky.social and Adam Geller.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
NEW: An uncomfortable but essential read. We heard about the trauma endured by children in detention at Dilley, including the mother whose child used a plastic knife to hurt herself and the haunting images she created to vent her fears. “We are all Liam,” one mom said. apnews.com/article/chil...
apnews.com
Worms in food, poor medical care, lights on 24/7: Families tell of life in Texas detention center
When ICE officers in Minneapolis detained a 5-year-old boy and his father last month and sent them to a Texas detention center, many Americans were alarmed.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas. apnews.com/article/mili...
apnews.com
Lawmakers say US military used laser to take down Border Protection drone
Members of Congress say the U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Patrol drone.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
NEW: Legal advocates filed a motion today seeking to stop CBP agents from urging immigrant youth entering the country without their parents to voluntarily deport themselves under a federal policy introduced September. Attorneys say it circumvents TVPRA. apnews.com/article/cbp-...
apnews.com
Legal advocates seek to halt CBP policy pressuring unaccompanied children to self-deport
Legal advocates are asking a judge to stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from urging unaccompanied immigrant children to voluntarily deport themselves.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
New campaign from @childrens-rights.bsky.social will let people send encouraging messages to immigrant families at the Dilley detention center: www.childrensrights.org/l/theyre-rem...
childrensrights.org
They’re Remembered: Messages for Children at Dilley | Children's Rights
This Valentine's Day, show the children at Dilley that they're on our minds—and we're not looking away. Your words, your children's drawings, your messages of hope—they will be delivered directly into...
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Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam. We won’t stop until all children and families are home.
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Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Just visited with Liam and his father at Dilley detention center. I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
NEW: Dozens of detained immigrant families braved the cold outside the Dilley, TX facility to protest conditions and long detentions, sparked by the recent arrest of 5 y.o. Liam Conejo Ramos. A detainee said the boy & his dad briefly participated. apnews.com/article/texa...
apnews.com
Immigrant families protest at Texas facility housing 5-year-old boy, father detained in Minnesota
Dozens of immigrant families protested behind the fences of a Texas detention facility where a 5-year-old boy Ecuadorian boy and his father were sent this week after being detained in Minnesota.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Media gets ten spaces at today’s trial for former Uvalde schools officer Adrian Gonzales. Spots were allotted after all journalists decided Uvalde’s newspaper should have a permanent seat. Support local journalism. (I’ll also be inside. No cells or computers allowed.)
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
NEW: A Dec. 1 report from ICE indicated that about 400 immigrant children were held in custody for more than the 20-day limit during the reporting period from August to September. Legal advocates say the government is failing to safeguard children. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
About 400 immigrant children were detained longer than the recommended limit, ICE admits
Legal advocates concerned over the prolonged detention of immigrant children in federal custody are sounding the alarm before the federal court. U.S.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
NEW: A federal judge issued an order Wednesday requiring the Trump administration to again consider granting protection from deportation to certain vulnerable young immigrants under the Special Immigrant Juvenile status program, also known as SIJS. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
Government ordered to resume deportation protection program for vulnerable immigrant youth
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to resume a program that could grant deportation protection to vulnerable immigrant children and youth. U.S.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
JUST IN: ICE didn’t say how much migrants would get or when the offer would take effect, but The AP obtained an email to migrant shelters saying children 14 years of age and older would get $2,500 each. Children were given 24 hours to respond. apnews.com/article/ice-...
apnews.com
Trump administration offers migrant children $2,500 to voluntarily return to home countries
The Trump administration is offering migrant children $2,500 to voluntarily return to their home countries, dangling a new incentive in efforts to persuade people to self-deport.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Update: DHS shared a response to today’s decision from Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee. For context, the government initially claimed Guatemalan parents asked for their kids back to be reunited, but they retracted that last week following contradictory evidence.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin:
"This judge is blocking efforts to REUNIFY CHILDREN with their families. Now these children will have to go to shelters. All just to 'get Trump.' This is disgraceful and immoral."
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Legal advocates with Kids in Need of Defense visited Honduras last week and found government officials and nongovernmental organizations working “furiously” to receive as many as 400 children back from the United States.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
New: Judge grants preliminary injunction to block Trump admin from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children who came to the U.S. alone back to their home country. BUT, he did not expand class to cover Honduran children who attorneys believe are targeted next. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Judge blocks Trump administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children
A judge is blocking the Trump administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children who came to the U.S. alone back to their home country.
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Valerie Gonzalez @valontheborder.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
New: Bottled water sold for $1.21, dismissed medical pleas and faith tested at family detention facility in Dilley, TX apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
Bottled water sold for $1.21, dismissed medical pleas and faith tested at family detention facility
New revelations into a Texas detention facility are stirring concern among attorneys for the wellbeing of immigrant children.
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