Exclusive: NYT Hit Piece On ICE Medical Care Is False, DHS Says

A hit piece in The New York Times claiming the medical care provided at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers is ‘poor’ is riddled with falsehoods, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Federalist.

The New York Times on Saturday ran through several claims that several illegal aliens did not receive proper care: Aliens were forced to wait long periods of time to be “lucky enough to see a doctor,” diabetes patients did not receive regular insulin, and detainees faced various other medical care failures.

According to DHS, those claims are totally unfounded.

“These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE. It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody,” Dr. Sean Conley, DHS chief medical officer, told The Federalist. “This includes medical, dental, women’s health and mental health services, any needed follow up medical appointments as well as  24-hour emergency care. This is better, more responsive healthcare than many aliens have ever received in their entire lives.”

The New York Times claims that medical staff at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas “downplayed” the concerns Kheilin Domelis Valero Marcano and Stiven Jose Arrieta Prieto had about the medical condition of their 18-month-old daughter, Amalia Isabella Arrieta-Valero. The Biden administration released the Venezuelan family in 2024 after they entered the country illegally, according to DHS.

Marcano and Prieto claim, apparently through a lawyer, that medical staff delayed until Arrieta-Valero developed a fever that allegedly lasted 19 days and caused her to lose two pounds.

According to DHS, however, after Arrieta-Valero developed a respiratory condition, she “immediately received proper medical care and was admitted to the Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, Texas for treatment.”

She stayed at the hospital for eight days, and then a pediatrician approved her release. She was brought back to Dilley, where she received further medical monitoring and prescriptions.

Another claim in the hit piece is about Anastasiia Ekimovskaia, a 35-year-old illegal alien from Russia who entered the United States illegally on Oct. 6, 2025, who “reported no medical or mental health” concerns upon arrival at Dilley, DHS said.

The New York Times says DHS staff refused care to Ekimovskaia for hemorrhaging and bleeding “through six sanitary pads.” She was ultimately taken to a hospital, allegedly after “pleading with staff and after they demanded proof.” She showed the pads and was given a prescription that “took weeks to arrive” as “the bleeding continued.”

According to DHS, Ekimovskaia said she had side pain on Nov. 1, and disclosed a “history of kidney stones.” After consulting with the medical staff who “started appropriate treatment” and planned a future visit to revisit the situation, on Nov. 6, she sought care for “menstrual discomfort and heavy bleeding,” DHS said.

After going to Frio Regional Hospital upon referral from Dilley’s medical provider, she was “diagnosed with moderate heavy menstrual bleeding” and referred to an off-site obstetrician-gynecologist and had “multiple follow-up appointments.”

Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, a 32-year-old illegal alien who was being held at Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex, died in custody, and according to his family’s GoFundMe page, he perished “without the medical attention he deserved.”

However, as the New York Times notes, Vargas “had multiple health problems, including diabetes, elevated blood sugar and a foot wound” before contracting the coronavirus. The GoFundMe page says Vargas died “likely from complications of Covid-19.”

DHS described Vargas as “a criminal illegal alien whose criminal history includes multiple drug possession arrests, a DUI, and possession of drug paraphernalia,” but says that the allegation he was refused adequate medical treatment is “false.”

Immediately upon testing positive for the coronavirus on Aug. 14, 2025, Vargas was isolated from other inmates and given “proper medical care,” according to DHS, including an X-ray of his chest and a “tuberculosis workup.”

After he became unresponsive in the medical unit, doctors started administering life-saving measures, but, “unfortunately, he passed away on August 31, 2025,” DHS said.

The New York Times said one 11-year-old girl lost some of her hearing after a “cursory examination” from medical staff, who “dismissed” claims of an earache. During the medical intake, her parents, alleged illegal aliens from Russia, said she had a history of chronic ear infections. The family had been at Dilley since October.

According to the New York Times, the parents “returned repeatedly” about the issue, as their daughter developed a 104-degree fever. She was “eventually given ear drops and antibiotics, but she lost some of her hearing and was still in pain as her family noticed pus coming from her ear.”

However, DHS says that “the child reported ear pain and was prescribed antibiotics” in November 2025, and by Dec. 15, she was back with ear pain, where doctors prescribed her ear drops with antibiotics and steroids. According to DHS, the girl’s mother “declined all treatment,” and the medical provider “spent over 40 minutes discussing treatment options. However, the parent continued to REFUSE medication for the child.”

According to DHS, medical staff saw the girl again on Dec. 22, and she “reported no pain or symptoms.”

“As detention capacity expands, ICE continues to recruit healthcare professionals and work with its contractors to maintain standards in staffing and the care provided,” Conley said.

Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.