Chaos erupted outside a South Texas detention facility on Tuesday as state troopers in riot gear clashed with protesters, deploying tear gas and making arrests after demonstrators breached barriers during a heated immigration protest. The confrontation marked a dramatic escalation in tensions over the detention of a 5-year-old boy and his father.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers responded with force when approximately 150 demonstrators refused to disperse outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley on January 28, 2026. “During yesterday’s response, after dispersal orders were given, approximately 150 demonstrators refused to leave and began to breach the established protest barrier and spit on officers,” DPS spokesperson Sheridan Nolen stated.
The protest, which began peacefully, grew tense around 2:30 p.m. when law enforcement deployed tear gas grenades, forcing the crowd to retreat. Protesters could be seen helping each other flush irritants from their eyes as the acrid chemicals spread through the air. About 40 DPS troopers had arrived earlier at the scene in a Dilley Independent School District bus, wearing full riot gear, according to witnesses present at the demonstration.
A Fight for Release
At the heart of the protest was the detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias. The pair were initially detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota before being transferred to the Dilley facility, which had been closed during the Biden administration but reopened last year amid increasing immigration enforcement. A federal judge had temporarily blocked their deportation, yet they remain in custody, according to reports.
Demonstrators chanted “I believe that we will win,” “The people united will never be divided,” “Bring them home” and “Free the children” as they faced off against U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and Texas DPS troopers. The rhythmic calls echoed across the detention center grounds before the situation deteriorated.
Why did authorities respond with such force? Officials say the City of Dilley requested DPS assistance for the planned protest, and troopers deployed “less-lethal measures” only after protesters refused multiple orders to disperse and began breaching established barriers. Video footage from the scene shows protesters moving forward against a line of officers before tear gas was deployed.
Arrests and Aftermath
Two protesters were taken into custody during the confrontation. Robert David Padgett and Gavin Austin Pope face charges including resisting arrest and interfering with public duties, local authorities confirmed.
The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley has been a flashpoint in the ongoing national debate over immigration policy. The facility, which had been shuttered, represents for many the return to stricter detention practices that immigrant rights advocates have long criticized.
This isn’t the first time the facility has drawn protests, but Tuesday’s clash represents a significant escalation in tactics from both demonstrators and law enforcement. Immigrant rights organizations have vowed to continue pressing for the release of Liam and his father, while state officials maintain they were simply responding to unlawful actions by protesters.
As tensions simmer in the aftermath, the fate of the detained 5-year-old and his father remains unresolved – a small but potent symbol in America’s increasingly volatile immigration debate.
