Prairieland Detention Center
Alvarado, Texas · 8 well-documented stories
What stands out here
Conditions that appear in a larger share of this facility's stories than of facility stories in general. Stories run from Dec 2025 to Sep 2026.
Nothing stands out against facilities in general; the most documented conditions here:
- Shackled or chained38% vs 6%
Shackled, chained, zip-tied for long periods, restrained during transport or medical care, or held in a restraint chair.
- Pregnant or postpartum in custody25% vs 3%
The detained person was pregnant, miscarried, gave birth, or was postpartum or breastfeeding while held.
- Food or water withheld25% vs 10%
The person went without food or water for an extended period, or was given spoiled or inadequate food.
share of stories hereacross all facilities
Everything the stories describe here
- Shackled or chained · 3 stories
Shackled, chained, zip-tied for long periods, restrained during transport or medical care, or held in a restraint chair.
- Pregnant or postpartum in custody · 2 stories
The detained person was pregnant, miscarried, gave birth, or was postpartum or breastfeeding while held.
- Food or water withheld · 2 stories
The person went without food or water for an extended period, or was given spoiled or inadequate food.
- Died in custody or soon after · 1 story
The person died while detained, during transport, or within days of release or deportation.
- Family not told · 1 story
Relatives were not informed of the arrest, a transfer, a hospitalization, or a death, or learned of it from the press or other detainees.
- Overcrowding · 1 story
Held in a space far over capacity: a holding cell, a bus, an airport facility, a tent.
- Injury needing medical treatment · 1 story
The person or a bystander was hurt badly enough to need medical care.
- Medical requests ignored · 1 story
Requests for care, a doctor, or an emergency response were refused, delayed, or dismissed.
In their words
No verbatim testimony extracted yet.
Stories
Jose A.: McKinney teacher's husband detained at ICE check-in, still held nine months laterJose Rafael Alambarrio, a Venezuelan asylum seeker married to a McKinney teacher, was detained during a routine check-in while applying for a green card. He remains held nine months later as his asylum appeal continues.McKinney, TX · Sep 13, 2026 · NBC DFW, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News
Darisbell Q.M.: Pregnant asylum seeker shackled to hospital bed after miscarriage in ICE custodyDarisbell Paola Quintero Morillo, a Venezuelan asylum seeker, was detained at a routine check-in and later miscarried in custody. ICE officers then cuffed her ankles to her hospital bed.TX · Jul 29, 2026 · KERA News, MSN
Kai L.: Chinese Christian student held four months by ICE, family says possible miscarriageDixuan 'Kai' Li, 27, a Chinese Christian student held over four months at a Texas detention center, may have miscarried in custody without adequate care, her husband says.Arlington, TX · May 20, 2026 · Texas Tribune, Back China
Estefany R.F. and Leqaa K.: Journalist and Palestinian woman detained by ICE, one handcuffed to hospital bedLeqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman and campus advocate, was held over a year at a Texas facility, suffered a seizure, and was handcuffed to a hospital bed before her March 2026 release on bond.Nashville, TN · Mar 19, 2026 · Migrant Insider, Nashville Banner, Bwog +1
Detained migrants offered cash to leave the U.S., payments often delayedLuis Andrés Monterroso López, 29, signed a voluntary departure agreement at a Texas detention center and was deported to Guatemala, later using the promised $2,600 to open a mechanic shop.AL · Mar 19, 2026 · El País
Leqaa K.: Palestinian activist shackled to hospital bed during year in ICE custodyLeqaa Kordia, 33, a Palestinian woman living in Paterson, New Jersey since 2016, was freed after a year in detention that included a hospitalization during which she was shackled to her bed.Paterson, NJ · Mar 16, 2026 · NPR, Associated Press, The Guardian +1
Niury G. and Rafael A.: Two spouses of U.S. citizens detained by ICE at Dallas appointmentsNiury Guerra, a Cuban wife of a U.S. citizen, was detained at her green card interview and held 200 miles from her 15-month-old daughter. Rafael Alambarrio, husband of a McKinney teacher, was detained at a routine check-in.Dallas, TX · Feb 17, 2026 · FOX 4 News, Dallas Morning News
Shiraz S.: Pakistani man, on dialysis, dies after 162 days in ICE custodyShiraz Fatehali Sachwani, 48, who had lived in the U.S. since 1996, died December 6 after 162 days at Texas's Prairieland Detention Center. He had advanced kidney disease and was hospitalized multiple times before dying of pneumonia and sepsis complications.Alvarado, TX · Dec 6, 2025 · Physicians for Human Rights, ICE, Lives Deaths Stories +1
Where people stood at the latest report
Each square is one percent of these stories. Read it with care: people who are still detained or already deported have far less access to reporters and lawyers than people who were released, so this mix reflects who gets covered more than how cases end.
- Died 13%
- Self-deported 13%
- Still detained 38%
- Released 25%
- Unknown 13%