{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stanton.house.gov/2026/6/stanton-provides-update-on-margoth-and-dilan-paredes-tempe-family-held-in-ice-detention-in-texas", "Stanton Provides Update on Margoth and Dilan Paredes, Tempe Family Held in ICE Detention in Texas", "2026-06-15", "2026", "2026-06", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Greg Stanton", "S001211", "stanton.house.gov", "stanton", "https://stanton.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said he has spoken directly with Tempe resident Margoth Paredes-Ortiz who, along with her 14-year-old son Dilan, has now spent more than two weeks detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. Margoth and Dilan were taken into custody on May 26, 2026. Today, June 15, marks 20 days since the children were taken into federal immigration custody \u2014 an important deadline under the landmark 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which protects children from prolonged detention.\n\n\"A mother and her son belong at home, not in a detention facility hundreds of miles from their community. Margoth and Dilan fled real violence in Ecuador and built a life in Tempe. I will not stop fighting for their return,\u201d Stanton said.\n\nBackground:\n\nMargoth fled Ecuador after she and Dilan were held at gunpoint while she was at work. She sought asylum upon arriving in the United States in 2023. Dilan, who was enrolled at Cecil Shamley School in Tempe at the time of their detention, is now experiencing significant emotional distress. Margoth reports he cries frequently and doesn\u2019t understand the circumstances of their detention.\n\nICE confirmed to Stanton\u2019s office that no removal is imminent as her case is before the Board of Immigration Appeals.\n\nStanton's office has taken the following actions on behalf of the family:\n\nSubmitted a formal congressional inquiry to ICE's Office of Congressional Relations requesting written updates on the family's case and detention conditions, and requested a direct call with the acting director of ICE.\n\nCoordinated with Congressman Joaqu\u00edn Castro's (D-TX) office, legal advocates, and Texas-based immigration organizations to help ensure Margoth and Dilan have access to legal representation.\n\nContinued to monitor conditions at the Dilley facility, including access to food, water, educational programming, legal calls, and medical care.\n\nBackground on the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement\n\nThe 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement \u201csets out nationwide policy for the detention, release, and treatment of minors\u201d in federal immigration custody. Under the agreement, when immigration authorities take a minor into custody, they must \u201cexpeditiously process the minor\u201d and release the minor \u201cwithout unnecessary delay\u201d to a parent, legal guardian, adult relative, other approved custodian, or licensed program willing to accept custody.\n\nIf release cannot be effected, the agreement requires that the minor be placed in the \u201cleast restrictive setting\u201d appropriate to the minor\u2019s age and special needs, consistent with the government\u2019s interest in ensuring appearance in immigration proceedings and protecting the minor\u2019s well-being and the safety of others.\n\nIn practical terms, the agreement requires the government to:\n\nExpeditiously process the minor after taking the child into custody;\n\nRelease the minor \u201cwithout unnecessary delay\u201d to an approved parent, guardian, relative, custodian, or licensed program; or\n\nPlace the minor in the \u201cleast restrictive setting\u201d and, where release is not effected, in a \u201clicensed program.\u201d", 1, "2026-06-18T06:41:00Z", "2026-06-18T06:43:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stanton.house.gov/2026/6/stanton-provides-update-on-margoth-and-dilan-paredes-tempe-family-held-in-ice-detention-in-texas"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9180079214274883, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}