WASHINGTON, D.C. — FWD.us launched a new digital ad, “A Father,” as part of its continued nationwide paid media campaign exposing the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement overreach. The ad highlights the human toll of America’s immigrant family and child jail in Dilley, Texas, and calls for an end to family detention. Reopened in March 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, the Dilley immigrant child and family jail has been the site of numerous investigations due to abusive detention conditions, including contaminated food and inadequate medical care. Despite significant efforts from leaders in Congress, there is a lack of access and transparency, as members have regularly been denied access to conduct meaningful oversight. Moreover, a federal judge recently ordered independent oversight after finding that children being held in Dilley are being detained five times longer than legally allowed.
“The horrific situation at Dilley is a national disgrace, and no child or family should ever be locked away in immigration detention,” said Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us. “We are launching this campaign to ensure that the American public and decision-makers see the devastating human toll of family detention—stories like Luis and his four children suffering severe medical neglect and trauma behind bars—while tens of billions of taxpayer dollars are funneled into expanding this cruel system at the expense of vital resources like healthcare. Dilley must be closed immediately, and family detention must end once and for all. We will continue to tell these stories because the administration tries to keep these awful harms in the dark.”
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) said, “I have visited the Dilley Trailer Prison many times and met with mothers and fathers like Luis. Families should not have to endure conditions where they lack access to proper food, medical care, and education for their children. These conditions are unacceptable, and Dilley must be shut down. Children and families belong in our communities, not in detention.”
The ad, “A Father,” details the traumatic 70-day detention in Dilley of Luis and his four children (then ages 12, 14, 16, and 17) detained in March 2026, after Luis went to a routine ICE check-in to maintain his work authorization. The video also features Casey Revkin, Executive Director of Each Step Home, an organization that provides commissary funds to families in Dilley.
FWD.us is spotlighting the family’s official GoFundMe campaign to help them rebuild what detention took from them and cover their housing, medical care, and their children’s education.
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