Timeline
February 23, 2026 — February 27, 2026
World
Timeline: How Conditions at ICE Detention Centers Came to Light Over 5 Days
Between February 23-27, 2026, investigative reporting revealed disturbing conditions at ICE detention facilities across the United States. The story centered on two separate investigations: one exposing the treatment of detainees at California's Adelanto facility through letters and testimony, and another revealing frequent medical emergencies involving children and pregnant women at a Texas family detention center through obtained 911 recordings.
11 events · 4 days · 12 source articles
Sat, Mar 1, 2025
Moderate
Dilley Family Detention Center Opens in Texas
A for-profit family detention center opened in Dilley, Texas, operated by ICE to detain immigrant families including children and pregnant women. This facility would later become the subject of investigation due to frequent medical emergencies. The center was designed to hold families together during immigration proceedings.
Tue, Apr 1, 2025
Major
Cuban Immigrant Detained at Tampa Airport, Hearing Aids Confiscated
Abraham Torres Fernandez, a 60-year-old Cuban immigrant with permanent residency status, was detained by ICE agents at Tampa airport. Federal agents seized his hearing aids during the detention and never returned them. Fernandez had fled Cuba 18 years earlier to escape poverty and had been working as a shopkeeper before coming to the United States.
Tue, Apr 15, 2025
Major
Detainee Transferred to Adelanto Without Access to Hearing Aids
Upon arrival at the Adelanto ICE detention center in California, Fernandez was shown his belongings including his hearing aid, but facility staff refused to give it to him. This marked the beginning of eight months during which Fernandez was forced to rely solely on lipreading Spanish words to communicate and understand others.
Mon, Dec 1, 2025
Moderate
Fernandez Endures Eight Months in Total Silence at Adelanto
After eight months of detention without his hearing aids, Fernandez's situation represented a prolonged denial of basic accommodations for his disability. His experience of total silence, broken only by what he could lipread, illustrated the conditions faced by detainees at the facility. His case would later become central to investigative reporting on detention center conditions.
Mon, Feb 23, 2026
Major
First Reports Surface About Adelanto Detention Conditions
Daily News published an investigation revealing conditions inside the Adelanto ICE detention center through letters and interviews with detainees. The report featured Abraham Torres Fernandez's story of being denied his hearing aids for eight months. Fernandez described the psychological impact, stating the experience would 'drive you crazy.'
Mon, Feb 23, 2026
Moderate
California Media Outlets Amplify Adelanto Detention Story
Mercury News and East Bay Times picked up the investigation, expanding coverage of the Adelanto detention center conditions across California media. The reports detailed how detainees like Fernandez were subjected to harsh treatment, including denial of medical devices and extended periods without proper accommodations for disabilities.
Tue, Feb 24, 2026
Minor
Adelanto Investigation Continues to Spread Across News Outlets
Additional outlets including Paradise Post continued reporting on the Adelanto facility conditions, maintaining public attention on Fernandez's case and the broader issues at the California detention center. The widespread coverage indicated growing concern about ICE detention practices and treatment of detainees with disabilities.
Tue, Feb 24, 2026
Major
911 Recordings Reveal Medical Emergencies at Texas Family Detention Center
Scripps News investigators obtained 911 recordings and documents showing that medical emergencies involving children and pregnant women occur multiple times a month at the Dilley family detention center in Texas. The recordings revealed calls about children as young as six years old with fevers and babies requiring ambulances, exposing dangerous conditions at the for-profit facility.
Tue, Feb 24, 2026
Moderate
Texas Detention Center Investigation Gains National Attention
Multiple news outlets across the country, including stations in Virginia and Texas, began broadcasting the Scripps News investigation about the Dilley detention center. The 911 recordings demonstrated systemic issues with medical care for vulnerable populations, including miscommunications about children's ages and frequent emergency calls for detained families.
Tue, Feb 24, 2026
Minor
Dilley Detention Center Story Reaches Western States Media
News stations in Colorado, Montana, and California aired reports on the Dilley facility medical emergencies, further expanding awareness of conditions at family detention centers. The widespread coverage across regional outlets indicated growing national concern about the treatment of detained immigrant families and children.
Fri, Feb 27, 2026
Major
NBC Washington Reports on 'Brutal Conditions' for Children in ICE Detention
NBC4 Washington characterized the conditions revealed by the 911 calls as 'brutal' for children detained at ICE facilities. This major outlet's coverage marked a culmination of the story, framing the investigations as evidence of systemic problems in ICE detention practices affecting the most vulnerable detainees including children, pregnant women, and those with disabilities.
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