Donald Trump moves to scrap ‘decades-old agreement’ protecting immigrant kids’ rights as ICE horror stories pile up

Multiple lawmakers and immigrant rights groups are reporting disturbing conditions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities across the United States, describing them as “inhumane” and “unsanitary.”

According to MSNBC, Democratic Representative Judy Chu from California recently visited the Adelanto ICE facility and found concerning situations. She reported that detainees were unable to change their underwear for 10 days and couldn’t contact their families or legal representatives due to a lack of phone access.

The Trump administration, which has stacked its ranks with Project 2025 architects, has filed a motion in federal court to end the Flores Agreement, a decades-old settlement that has protected immigrant children’s basic rights since 1997. This agreement ensures proper food, water, and limits on detention time for immigrant children in U.S. custody.

Reports of poor conditions continue to surface from ICE facilities

Immigrant rights groups have submitted court documents describing troubling conditions at two Texas ICE facilities. The filing reports that detained people must fight for water access, and children are being denied medical care. These children are also experiencing psychological trauma following arrests.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the leading Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, has raised concerns about ICE processing facilities being improperly used as jails. He states these facilities are holding people for days at a time, which goes beyond their intended purpose.

Democratic lawmakers are facing resistance from the Trump administration in their attempts to inspect ICE facilities. This has made it difficult for them to conduct proper oversight of detention conditions.

According to Rep. Chu, many of the people being held are not criminals, but rather individuals with expired documents. This contradicts President Trump’s stated goal of removing dangerous criminals from the country, part of his broader pattern of controversial policy decisions that have drawn criticism. If the administration succeeds in ending the Flores Agreement, there are concerns that conditions for detained immigrants, especially children, could worsen significantly.