HOUSTON (AP) — The mother of a migrant toddler who died shortly after being released from the nation’s largest family detention center has sued the tiny Arizona city that for years was paid by the U.S. government to run the facility in name only.
Yazmin Juarez’s lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that her 1-year-old daughter, Mariee, developed a respiratory illness at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, and medical staff did not adequately treat her before releasing them three weeks later.
The lawsuit targets Eloy, Arizona, which collected $438,000 a year to officially run the Dilley facility for four years even though the city is roughly 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) away and had no direct oversight.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that it takes the welfare of detainees “very seriously.”
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