Not in their backyard.
Gated-community-dwelling celebs like Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, and Madonna are among those demanding that the Department of Homeland Security close a Texas ICE facility — and send its illegal immigrant detainees back into American neighborhoods.
The Change.org petition, which has reached over 200,000 signatures, targets the Dilley ICE detention center in Dilley, Texas, which was opened in 2014 by President Barack Obama.
‘Children belong in schools and on playgrounds, not in detention centers.’
The facility was then closed by President Joe Biden in 2024, before being reopened by President Donald Trump in 2025.
Lock shock
Now, some of the country’s most prominent liberal celebrities are accusing ICE of child imprisonment.
“No child should be locked in an immigration detention center,” the petition states.
“We urge the federal government and CoreCivic to close the Dilley facility immediately, return children and families to the homes and communities they were taken from and to end child imprisonment now.”
The description claimed that the children at the Dilley detention center “endure trauma, neglect and conditions that violate basic standards of health, safety, dignity and human rights.”
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Ilana Panich-Linsman/The Washington Post/Getty Images
‘Rotten food’
Additional claims cited court filings that detail “abuse … refusals to provide clean water, rotten food contaminated with worms, dangerous medical neglect, sleep deprivation, denial of legal counsel, the separation of children from their families, and retaliation against families protesting the inhumane conditions.”
Many of these claims were outlined in a PBS News report from January, citing allegations made by migrant families “in recent court documents about their children’s conditions while in ICE custody.”
‘Desperate’ measures
In a statement, DHS refuted the claims as the media’s “desperate” attempt to discredit immigration reform:
Dilley does meet federal detention standards and actually undergoes regular audits and inspections. The Dilley Detention Center is retrofitted for families. Adults with children are housed in facilities that provide for their safety, security, and medical needs. All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries.
The federal entity also said inmates have access to phones to contact family and lawyers, have dietitian-evaluated meals, and ensure that children are protected.
“Parents, who are here illegally, can take control of their departure,” the statement went on. DHS added the families can self-deport with the potential to return legally.
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“Children belong in schools and on playgrounds, not in detention centers,” the petition also said.
Other celebrity signees include: Alyssa Milano, Brittney Griner, Christina Ricci, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Banks, Elliot Page, Eva Longoria, Jane Fonda, John Cusack, John Legend, Lance Bass, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Ms. Rachel, and Raffi.
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