Protesters gathered on Wednesday outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, calling for the immediate release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father. The pair was detained last week in Minnesota while returning home from the child’s preschool. “We are all in, and we are committed, and we are going to speak for our immigrant neighbors,” Christine Welde, a protester from San Antonio, said. Veteran Carlos Raymond also joined the demonstration, urging federal officials to release the child. “Our immigration system is broken,” Raymond said. “I’m here to represent. There’s no need for a young child and his father to be held here. I’m here to seek his release. That’s why I’m here.” Another group held a prayer vigil before marching toward the facility’s entrance. Protesters say they were stopped at the property line and claim officers used a chemical irritant to disperse the crowd. “As usual, they resort to inhumane tactics and threw gas at everyone,” said one unnamed bystander. Later in the afternoon, community leaders and elected officials—including Representatives Jasmine Crockett, Joaquin Castro, and Greg Casar—held a news conference in San Antonio calling on the Department of Homeland Security to release Liam and his father. The group toured the Dilley facility earlier in the day. State Representative Jasmine Crockett, who is also a U.S. Senate candidate, described what she saw. “The treatment that the people are suffering under right now is worse than those that are accused and sometimes convicted of crimes,” Crockett said. “That’s how bad it is.” ...read more read less