Last year, the Trump administration detained thousands of children like Amalia. Many were held in the detention center in Dilley, often for weeks or months at a time. Most of the people sent to the 2,400-bed facility were eventually deported to other countries. But 45% of them were released to await the outcomes of their cases in immigration courts, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Marshall Project. After leaving Dilley, families face the medical, psychological and financial repercussions of detention. And while they are relieved to leave the harsh conditions of detention, families say the release itself can also be harrowing.
It is a reality that many white americans have a hard time reckoning with. Racism never left, it was just integrated into law more covertly.