Joaquin Castro sneaks camera into Border Patrol facility, shares photos of migrants who 'need help'

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, took photos of the migrants with their permission during a tour in a Border Patrol facility on July 1, 2019. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, took photos of the migrants with their permission during a tour in a Border Patrol facility on July 1, 2019. Photo: Brett Buchanan /Contributor Photo: Brett Buchanan /Contributor Image 1 of / 119 Caption Close Joaquin Castro sneaks camera into Border Patrol facility, shares photos of migrants who 'need help' 1 / 119 Back to Gallery

When Democratic lawmakers toured Border Patrol facilities Monday, officials asked them to surrender their phones.

But one Texas congressman was able to sneak a device in, capturing the conditions and the migrants being held there.

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Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, shared photos he took Monday evening after he and his colleagues completed their tour. The images showed some of the detainees and the cramped conditions at those facilities.

This moment captures what it’s like for women in CBP custody to share a cramped cell—some held for 50 days—for them to be denied showers for up to 15 days and life-saving medication. For some, it also means being separated from their children. This is El Paso Border Station #1. pic.twitter.com/OmCAlGxDt8 — Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) July 1, 2019

In one of the videos Castro shared on Twitter, he wrote "this moment captures what it's like for women in CBP Custody to share a cramped cell—some held for 50 days—for them to be denied showers for up to 15 days and life-saving medication. For some, it also means being separated from their children."

Castro said one of the women alleged that when she told authorities she was thirsty, an agent told her to drink water from the toilet.

Castro said he took photos and video inside the facility because "it's kept secret" from the public.

"The American people must see what is being carried out in their name," he said.

Conditions for asylum seekers have come under fire lately as immigration numbers swell.

A video obtained by The Associated Press on Monday showed a 12-year-old migrant girl talk to her attorney about the conditions of the facility.

RELATED: Girl recalls poor care in Texas border station

The girl said children were "treated badly" and prohibited from bathing or playing with each other. She also said the food she was given at the station in Clint, Texas was inedible.

"There are some children, like the age of my sister, they cried for their mother or their father. They cried for their aunt. They missed them," she said. "They cried and they were locked up."

President Donald Trump signed a $4.6 billion emergency aid package Monday intended to help improve conditions at these facilities.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com | @FaresInSA