By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN

(CNN) — Immigrant families held at a detention facility in Texas describe prolonged stays, despondent children, limited access to potable water and agents offering money for families to voluntarily leave the country, according to new court declarations filed early Tuesday morning.

The filings paint a portrait of the inside of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility where, as of November, there were around 160 families who had either crossed the US-Mexico border or been picked up by authorities in the United States as part of the administration’s sweeping crackdown.

Administration officials have boasted of thousands of arrests since President Donald Trump took office, often categorizing those targeted as public safety and national security threats. But among those taken into custody, at places like ICE check ins and vehicle checkpoints, are families who are undocumented.

Family detention, which expanded under former President Barack Obama, had been paused under the Biden administration before resuming this year. The Dilley facility – intended to be a residential detention center, not a criminal facility – is designed to house families, with a series of beige trailers with dedicated spaces for a library, gym and classroom. Children at Dilley range from infants to teenagers.

But immigrant advocates and attorneys have routinely raised alarm over detaining children.

“When we were at Dilley a few weeks ago, conditions of confinement and treatment of families appear to have worsened with families reporting horrific concerns, such as denial of critical medical care, worms and mold in the food that result in children becoming ill, and threats of family separation by officers and staff,” said Leecia Welch, deputy litigation director at Children’s Rights, who has been to Dilley six times this year.

“Families tell us that their children are weak, faint, pale and often crying because they are so hungry,” she added.

CNN reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. The government has said in recent court filings that it’s already addressing some of the issues raised by detainees.

‘It’s a prison here’

The new court documents show detainees at Dilley allege their medical conditions are poorly treated, their children are unable to eat provided food, the rooms are packed, and the lighting makes it difficult to sleep.

“It’s a prison here – it is truly a living hell. It’s not a good place for anyone. All of the children here are suffering. The mothers are crying – especially for their children. We are all suffering,” said N.G.C., a 29-year-old mother detained with her 5-year-old daughter. (The court documents identify detainees only by their initials.)

More than 100 families have shared testimonies with immigration attorneys between May and November as part of the 1997 Flores settlement. That settlement requires the government to release children from government custody without unnecessary delay to sponsors, such as parents or adult relatives, and dictates conditions by which children are held.

All the families who provided declarations had been at the facility for weeks and were at various stages of their immigration proceedings to remain in the United States. The latest declarations reflect the period between September and November.

“I did everything right according to the immigration system here, and now who is going to pay for my bills? My apartment? Phone bills? Have I lost my job? And if we are released, can they just detain us again? I don’t understand,” said J.V.D.A, a 32-year-old mother detained with her husband and three kids, ranging from six to 16 years old.

Several detainees described children languishing amid the uncertainty of their detention.

“My daughter has a completely different attitude now. She doesn’t want to play with the other kids. … She doesn’t want to eat due to her emotions. She’s always been a big eater. The food for her is too heavy. It’s spicy and heavy. She has lost weight from not eating,” said J.R.F., a 26-year-old mother who has been detained at Dilley with her 5-year-old daughter.

“The kids here can get sad when people get deported or their friends leave. Kids are tired of doing the same thing every day. We try to help kids who are sad and teach them to play a new game. Sometimes kids don’t eat when they are sad,” said N.T.G., a 16-year-old detained in Dilley.

Families have also raised concerns about the water that is available to them, saying that the tap water tastes unpleasant and bottled water is limited.

“You can’t drink the water here. The smell is bad, and it hurts our stomachs a lot. We have to buy it at the commissary if we have money. In the dining area, there is milk and juice, but there isn’t water. The guards say, ‘This is all that there is. If you don’t like it, buy it at the store,’” J.R.F. said.

“I wish that we could have more water here. All that they have for drinking during the day is apple juice and milk. They tell us that the water from the tap isn’t good. Sometimes I drink the water from the sink but it makes my throat hurt and it makes me cough a lot,” N.T.G. said.

Several detainees said they had to buy hygiene products from the detention center’s commissary because the pump soap they were given to bathe, wash their hands and clean their hair was not enough to keep themselves clean.

In a court filing earlier this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement provided a report on the Dilley facility, addressing food service, water and ongoing improvements underway. Brita water filters, for example, were installed in housing units and lighting in the living suites was changed to “soft white” bulbs though they remain on overnight, according to the report.

“Through sustained oversight, a multi-level inspection system, and continuous staff training, ICE has built a foundation of accountability and transparency in the care of minors and families in its custody,” the report concluded.

Immigration attorneys filed the court declarations detailing the experience of detainees as a response to the government’s report.

“The declarations stand in stark contrast to the information that ICE is providing to the court,” Welch said.

Threats and pressure to self-deport

One detainee, a 31-year-old mother who was picked up while traveling from New York to Miami, said officials at the Miami airport threatened to take away her 9-year-old daughter if the mother didn’t answer questions.

Once at Dilley, the woman, identified as M.M.S., said detention officials would threaten the detainees with punishment over simple infractions. She said she was never given a legal orientation or a presentation about her legal rights; instead, “the only topic ICE has presented on is how to self deport,” she wrote.

Multiple families also described financial incentives offered by immigration authorities to depart the US voluntarily. The administration has been pushing undocumented immigrants to self-deport, offering them a $1,000 stipend, to be paid after they confirm their return home.

“An ICE agent also told us we had to sign voluntary departure paperwork so we’d be given $1,000 dollars. He said you need to sign this because you’ll never be able to enter the U.S. again otherwise,” J.V.D.A. said.

The Flores settlement agreement doesn’t prohibit the federal government from deporting a child and their family, but it states that children can’t be kept in immigration detention for prolonged periods and should be considered for release.

Some parents urged authorities to let their child be released to family in the United States and only keep the adults detained, in hopes of providing some relief.

“I want him to be able to finish high school and fight his case in immigration court. It is not an easy decision for a mother to make, especially when my son and I are so close. I love him so deeply. And because of that, I want to give him the chance he deserves to be free,” said Q.G., a mother, detained with her 16-year-old son, in a declaration.

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