SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — A Venezuelan mother and her young daughter have been held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in Dilley, Texas for more than a month, triggering concern from their family and advocacy groups over the child’s mental health and well-being.
The detainees are Yaniuska López Contreras, 40, and her daughter María Isabella Bruces López, 7, who live in Austin, Texas.
According to family members, they were taken into custody on January 6 by federal immigration agents after attending a routine immigration court appointment in San Antonio related to their ongoing asylum case.
Since then, advocates and relatives say the prolonged detention has taken a serious emotional toll on the child.
Family members reported that María Isabella began showing signs of anxiety and depression while at the Dilley family detention center.
She has been evaluated by psychologists and later referred to a psychiatrist, according to her father, who shared that one of the drawings the child created showed her and her mother crying together.
The family explained that both mother and daughter have an active asylum process with a scheduled hearing set for February 9, but that uncertainty and confinement have deeply affected their mental health.
María Isabella’s father said the girl does not understand why they have been detained, and that her ability to cope has deteriorated. .
He expressed fears not only about prolonged detention but also about the possibility of deportation.
According to reports, Yaniuska worked as a special education assistant at a primary school in Pflugerville, and her daughter, who will turn eight soon, had been a strong student before their detention.
The case has drawn comparisons to other recent family detentions at the Dilley facility that have sparked public outcry, including the widely publicized detention and subsequent release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father after their detention drew national attention and legal intervention.
Family supporters and rights advocates are calling for increased attention to the conditions faced by detained families and urging authorities to expedite cases involving children to reduce further psychological harm.