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Ariana V.: 14-year-old held about 45 days at Dilley reports severe depression

Ariana Velasquez, 14, a Honduran freshman at Hicksville High School, has been detained at Dilley for about 45 days, separated from the younger siblings she used to care for. She reports depression and long waits for medical care.

Jan 2026Hicksville, NYCountry of origin: Honduras

Ariana V.: 14-year-old held about 45 days at Dilley reports severe depression
Photo via The Atlantic

Ariana Velasquez, a 14-year-old from Honduras who moved to the U.S. with her mother, Stephanie Valladares, at age 7, has been held at the Dilley immigration detention center for about 45 days. Valladares had applied for asylum and later married a neighbor from Honduras already living in the U.S., with whom she had two more children, Gianna ("Gigi") and Jacob, whom Ariana cared for after school. Ariana, a freshman at Hicksville High School, has fallen behind in her classes and misses her siblings and her favorite sign language teacher; her mother installed a kitchen security camera so she could check on the younger children from work, and Jacob has been talking to the camera hoping to reach his mother. Ariana has reported severe depression, sadness, and inadequate medical care with long wait times for medication.

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