Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrived in riot gear in Dilley on Wednesday as protesters gathered outside the South Texas Family Residential Center to draw attention to the detention of a five-year-old boy from the Minneapolis area being held at the ICE facility.
Texas Public Radio was on the scene as about 40 DPS troopers arrived at the protest site aboard a Dilley Independent School District bus. Tensions later escalated as confrontations broke out between protesters and law enforcement.
TPR observed troopers deploy a chemical irritant used for crowd control, forcing demonstrators to disperse as the air became difficult to breathe. A thick white haze lingered in the area, and protesters could be seen helping one another flush their eyes with water. Some protesters were arrested during the clashes.
After the initial confrontation, conditions at the scene calmed. Law enforcement maintained a presence near the facility as protesters regrouped.
Dozens of protesters remained outside the detention center Wednesday, calling for the child's release and raising concerns about immigration detention practices involving families and children.
The case involving the five-year-old has drawn national attention from immigration advocates and civil rights groups. The Department of Homeland Security said the boy was taken into custody after his father fled, and that the child's mother is not in U.S. custody. DHS says agents followed federal law and standard enforcement procedures.
The protest came a day after a federal judge in San Antonio declined to immediately order the child's release, saying the court lacked authority to do so while the case proceeds. Several state and local lawmakers traveled to Dilley on Wednesday to call for the boy's release and to observe conditions at the facility.
Texas Public Radio requested comment from the Texas Department of Public Safety regarding the use of force during the protest. DPS did not immediately respond to TPR's request for comment.
The South Texas Family Residential Center has been the focus of protests in recent years amid broader debates over immigration enforcement and the detention of families. It was not immediately clear how long DPS troopers planned to remain on site.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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