FILE - Yohendry De Jesus Crespo (right), Darianny Liseth Gonzalez De Crespo (left), and Diana Crespo (middle), shown here in a photo provided by a friend of the family, were detained by immigration officers while seeking medical care for 7-year-old Diana on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.
Ana Linares
The 7-year-old Gresham girl who was detained on her way to see the doctor last month is only eating bread with mayonnaise and her family has to purchase water because the water provided at the Texas detention center where they’re being held is undrinkable.
That’s according to Dayanny Gonzalez, the sister of Darianny Liseth Gonzalez De Crespo, who was detained along with her daughter, Diana, and husband, Yohendry De Jesus Crespo, on Jan. 16.
The family had arrived at Portland Adventist Health seeking treatment for Diana’s nosebleed that wouldn’t stop.
The family is now at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The facility — the same one where 5-year-old Liam Ramos of Minnesota was held with his father last month — has come under scrutiny for its inadequate food, water and medical care. Ramos and his dad returned home to Minnesota on Sunday after a judge ordered their release.
On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security reported two detainees at the center had contracted measles, prompting the facility to “halt all movement within the facility.”
Dayanny Gonzalez has been in contact with the Crespo family recently and is concerned that her niece isn’t getting food she can eat.
“I’m worried about Diana Camila because she’s a very picky eater,” she told OPB in Spanish. “In the last few days, she’s only eaten bread with mayonnaise.”
FILE - People held at the South Texas Family Residential Center wave signs during a demonstration in Dilley, Texas, Jan. 24, 2026. Reports of inadequate food and water at the facility have been widespread.
Brenda Bazán / AP
Reports of inadequate food at the facility are widespread.
On Tuesday, an attorney who visited the facility told Minnesota Public Radio, “the water is putrid” and “the food has bugs in it.”
Diana’s aunt also said the Crespos told her the water at the facility was mostly salt water, which gave Diana stomach aches and made her feel lethargic.
“Thank God we managed to send money so my sister could buy water,” she said.
Media reports from last fall indicate bottled water is available at the detention center for $1.21 per bottle.
The family is also concerned about Diana’s health, particularly because she was detained on her way to see a doctor, and she had a fever for several days in detention.
“Diana did not have a serious health condition, but has been sick at the facility, and the Crespo family feels like that has not been taken seriously by the facility,” said Isa Peña, director of strategy at Innovation Law Lab, the legal clinic representing the family.
According to Ana Linares, a friend of the Crespo family who spoke with OPB, Diana wasn’t able to see a doctor at the detention center until Wednesday, Jan. 21 — five days after she initially sought medical care with her family at Portland Adventist.
Rep. Ricki Ruiz, a Democratic state lawmaker who represents Gresham, has spoken out about the family’s detention. In a statement on social media, he said it was “unacceptable” that Diana went so long without seeing a doctor.
According to a recent court filing from the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in a case concerning the prolonged detention of children, “Families detained at Dilley have raised concerns about insufficient medical attention on at least 700 occasions since August 2025.”
Oregon leaders, including Gov. Tina Kotek, have voiced concern that the family was detained while seeking medical care right outside a hospital.
Until January 2025, hospitals and other sensitive locations like schools and churches were largely off limits for immigration officials seeking to detain residents. The Trump administration threw out that policy during his first week back in office.
“I think where federal immigration enforcement activity is happening is certainly a growing area of concern,” Kotek said at a press conference last week. “Hospital parking lots, outside courthouses, outside our schools, all those things are very concerning for lawmakers and for lawmakers.”
The governor also expressed frustration that the officers arresting the Crespo family refused to let Diana see a doctor before detaining her.
“Why did that child not get to the emergency room first?” Kotek asked. “They could have waited; they could have made sure that kid had what they needed.”
FILE - Oregon Rep. Ricki Ruiz speaks at a press conference in Salem, Ore., on Jan. 24, 2026. Ruiz has spoken out about the Crespo family's detention.
Joni Land / OPB
Lawmakers representing Oregon in Washington, D.C., have also expressed concern. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, told OPB they were following the family’s case and working with other members of Oregon’s congressional delegation to ensure Diana receives the care she needs.
Peña said Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland, was in communication with the law office to support the family.
Dexter’s office said the congresswoman was working with congressional colleagues in Texas to “conduct oversight” of the family’s well-being at the detention center.
“Congresswoman Dexter has made numerous inquiries on behalf of the Crespo family, including demanding a wellness check, medical attention, and an explanation of the basis for their detention,” Dexter’s office told OPB.
