DILLEY, TEXAS — A 5-year-old nonverbal boy with developmental delays was released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas on March 24, 2026, after three weeks in detention. Gael and his parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia, had been arrested on March 3, 2026, at an immigration check-in in El Paso.

Gael has developmental delays and other medical challenges. His parents said their son's physical and emotional health deteriorated at the Dilley facility. They said Gael struggled to eat and often gagged on food, went more than a week without a bowel movement, and experienced pain with a visibly swollen stomach. According to Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor and director of its Immigrants' Rights Clinic who represented the family, Gael began hitting himself as his condition worsened.

Mukherjee learned of Gael's case through a social media post by children's entertainer Rachel Accurso and took on the family's representation. In court filings, Mukherjee warned immigration officials that Gael's condition was deteriorating in custody and that he was not getting the specialized care he relied on at home. Before he was detained, Gael had been undergoing evaluations for autism and receiving therapy, according to Mukherjee.

"Imagine if your child hadn't pooped in nine days. This is not normal. This is an important medical situation," Accurso said. The Department of Homeland Security said families at the facility are provided appropriate care and the facility is designed for their needs.

"No child should be here, regardless of their condition. Even for us as adults, it's hard," said Leonardo, one of Gael's parents. The parents asked to be identified only by their first names for fear of retaliation.

"Nelson and Leonardo are so eager to take Gael to their pediatrician so that he can get the medical care that he urgently needs," Mukherjee said. According to Mukherjee, the family plans to return to their Texas community to resume Gael's medical care and therapy while continuing to pursue asylum.