Convenience Big Store: Why are kids still being detained in Dilley?

February 18, 2026

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⛅ Temperature check: High of 78; low of 67. Forecast: It will be a little muggy over the next couple of days, but changes are coming for the weekend.

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Good morning, Houston.

Here's what you should know to start your day:

Need to know: Houston renters are still benefiting from a softening apartment market as the city entered 2026 with a continued cooldown in rent prices. See how Houston compares to other cities in our updated rent prices tracker.
Top of the chart: The most-read item yesterday was the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board's full list of endorsements for the March 3 primary election.
Texas Elections 2026: The Texas primaries are fast approaching. Our elections-focused newsletter is here to help you prepare. Sign up today.

Here's the rest of the news.

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In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum hold hands as they leave a cafeteria at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The isolation of at least three families at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention center in Dilley, has raised new fears of the coronavirus spreading through a facility that has long been accused of providing substandard medical care.

Worms in the food and putrid water: Why are kids still being detained in Dilley?

Not to ruin your breakfast this morning, but we start things off with the visualization of worms in porridge and moldy food.

That's not some health department's restaurant report. It's a description of conditions at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center provided by lawyers, legal aid groups, journalists and visiting members of Congress.

But bad food isn't the worst of what families confined there are confronting, writes columnist Lisa Falkenberg. In an interview with an attorney representing a mother and her five children, she writes that the mother's 5-year-old twins are hardly eating and the 9-year-old is verbalizing suicidal thoughts.

Falkenberg writes that it has now become clear that the facility is in violation of a legal settlement protecting the rights of children, known as the landmark 1997 Flores settlement. Are we heading toward a post-Flores America?

2

HISD parents say they feel blindsided by the district's proposed school closures.

At Port Houston Elementary, several dozen parents carried signs Tuesday to protest the proposed closure of their school, which serves about 250 students and is among those slated to be shut down pending board approval. Here's what to know about the closures.

3

Pasadena police say a woman stole $40K from families seeking immigration help.

Police arrested Webster resident Irma Aidde Hernandez, 46, on felony theft charges and identified her as the primary subject behind a scam that authorities say left families out thousands of dollars and in fear of retaliation.

4

These Montrose residents and businesses oppose West Alabama's $28.5M redesign.

They argue the current plan doesn't do enough to address safety.

5

A North Texas pizza chain wants a bigger slice of Houston

Mr Gatti's, the pizza brand headquartered in Fort Worth, is looking to grow its presence in the Houston area after being acquired by the private investment firm OneRyan Global. The chain currently has two locations here.

6

Stephen Colbert says CBS refused to air James Talarico interview. Here's why.

Colbert said Talarico, who's vying for U.S. Senate, was set to appear on his talk show until network lawyers stepped in and rejected the air time. Network officials said CBS only offered legal advice about the interview.

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📸 Photo of the Week

Ushers prepare to move the casket with the body of Michael

In this Elizabeth Conley photo, a private memorial service was held Monday for Michael "5000" Watts at The Luke Church in Humble.

For Watts, the unmistakable chopped and screwed sound — dramatically dropping the tempo of a song, then chopping it up into repetitive and rhythmic glitches — was his ministry, the calling that made him a titan of Houston hip-hop and reshaped the culture of his city, writes Joey Guerra.

⚾ Sports

Houston Astros Jeremy Peña (3) signals to check the nearby video screen utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system during Spring Training at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle

Astros: MLB will implement the automated ball-strike challenge system, giving players an avenue to dispute ball-strike calls in a way that can actually get them changed. Manager Joe Espada is trying to take emotion out of the equation for challenging calls in the new system.
High schools: The Humble ISD school board approved the hire of College Park head coach Kyle Coats on Tuesday night, officially handing him the reins to Atascocita, one of the top programs in the Houston area.
Longhorns: After a slow start, Sean Miller has Texas men's basketball moving up in the SEC. Meanwhile, Vic Schaefer went too far in saying the women's team has no heart, writes columnist Kirk Bohls.
Olympics: Alpine skiing, snowboarding and hockey are some of the events you can catch on TV today.

🗣️ Opinion

"I believe that these student protests served as a fantastic educational experience," writes Andrew Norton in a letter to the editor regarding the recent demonstrations against ICE.

🏙️ Houston Explained

The Tacos Los Brothers food truck on South Main, known for its $1 tacos, is photographed on Feb. 16, 2026.

Photo by: Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle

The search for Houston's disappearing $1 taco

Like fireflies inside the city and the Houston toad, the $1 taco has pretty much disappeared from the landscape here. Or has it?

My life only has so much bandwidth for podcasts these days, but there's a new one about to debut next month that you might find interesting.

"HUEston Chronicles" will feature roughly 10 hour-long episodes focused on Houstonians explaining how the city influenced them, according to Jef Rouner's reporting.

No, there are no links to the Houston Chronicle. The HUE in this case represents a collective that formed in 2013. Though its origins are in hip-hop music, its founders are keen to document Houston culture and the change that comes with it.