A For-Profit School Is Set To Open For Children In A Texas ICE Detention Center

For the first time since President Trump’s immigration crackdown began last year, ICE is set to open a school inside one of its detention centers: the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, one of the largest detention centers in the country. The school will be run by Stride, Inc., a virtual education company, but the job postings for teachers state they will all be working on-site, according to reporting by Whitney Curry Wimbish for The American Prospect.

Stride, Inc. posted a number of new job listings on LinkedIn in recent weeks, including openings for a school principal, elementary school teacher, middle school English teacher, middle/high school social studies teacher, middle/high school science teacher, high school English teacher, administrative assistant, school counselor, and a special education compliance coordinator. These job postings state that applicants must be fluent in Spanish and be able to travel to Dilley Monday through Friday.

The posting for the special education compliance coordinator states more specifically that, “As part of our mission to provide equitable, high-quality education to all students, Stride Learning Solutions is opening a new school site at an ICE Detention facility in Dilley, Texas.”

The move is likely an attempt to meet the requirements of the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which requires the federal government to provide food, water, clothing, medical care, and education to children 17 and younger held in immigration detention. The law also requires these children be transferred to a licensed, nonsecure child care facility after 20 days in detention. ICE detention centers do not meet those criteria, even with a school in place.

In their report, TAP references a December 2025 court filing alleging that ICE has held nearly 400 children in detention for more than 20 days in August and September of last year alone. Some children were held for 40 days or more. The filing states that in that time, children were been denied adequate medical care, child-friendly foods, access to legal counsel, and free calls to family members, along with access to education. It goes on to say that conditions within the Dilley detention center are worsening, with families reporting “denial of critical medical care, worms and mold in their food resulting in children becoming ill, and threats of family separation by officers and staff. Families report that their children are weak, faint, pale, and often crying because they are so hungry.”

Stride, Inc.’s job postings provide no additional information about when the school may open or how many students it will serve. In response to questions from The American Prospect, Stride, Inc. said CoreCivic, the for-profit prison operator that oversees the South Texas Family Residential Center, is still finalizing details about “the specific nature of service we may provide them.” The Department of Homeland Security told TAP the idea DHS is opening a school is just “another hoax about the South Texas Family Residential Center.”