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Celebrities call for closure of Dilley ICE detention center
Summary
A petition signed by actors, musicians and other public figures is calling for the closure of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas; the petition had 45,287 verified signatures at publication. Federal officials say the facility meets established standards, while advocates and medical signatories cite harms from family detention.
Content
A petition organized by public figures and professionals is calling for the immediate closure of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, a family detention facility in South Texas. Among the named signatories are Mark Ruffalo, Pedro Pascal, Jane Fonda, America Ferrera and Ben Stiller, alongside medical professionals and academics who raise health and legal concerns. The petition urges returning children and families to their communities and ending family detention; it had 45,287 verified signatures at the time of publication. Government officials, including a Department of Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary, have stated the facility meets established standards.
Key facts:
- A public petition signed by entertainers, medical professionals and legal scholars calls for the closure of the Dilley facility and an end to family detention.
- The petition names specific entertainers such as Mark Ruffalo, Pedro Pascal, Jane Fonda, America Ferrera and Ben Stiller among its signatories and had 45,287 verified signatures on Change.org.
- The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley is the largest family immigration detention facility in the United States and reopened in 2025 under a new contract after a June 2024 closure.
- The Department of Homeland Security has said conditions at the facility meet established standards; advocates and rights groups continue to raise concerns about care and due process.
Summary:
The petition has drawn public attention and highlighted differing accounts: signatories and advocates say family detention harms children and families, while DHS has defended the facility's compliance with standards. Undetermined at this time.