Stomach-churning video shows drinking water filled with WORMS that is being given to detainees at ICE facility

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:34, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 20:41, 4 August 2026 A horrifying video from the family of an ICE detainee in California appeared to reveal worm-like creatures swimming in a bottle of drinking water. The family of Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, shared the video showing water allegedly being supplied to detainees at the Adelanto Immigration Detention Center.  Parias remains in federal custody pending his deportation to Mexico. The video, while out of focus, depicts small and thin, long, dark-colored shapes floating at the bottom of a water bottle held to the camera by a man wearing orange. It was recorded by Parias's son, Ulises, during a video call with his father on Thursday in an attempt to document the conditions in the facility.  'He decided to show us how bad it was and that’s when he video called me and that’s when we saw worms inside the water,' Ulises told KTLA 5.  Parias's son told the outlet that the water came from jugs provided for drinking water at the facility.  His father told Ulises that the water also had a 'metallic smell,' and Parias had complained of stomach pain when his family visited on Saturday, the outlet reported.  Detainee Carlitos Ricardo Parias claimed water was given to detainees with worm-like creatures seen floating in it 'It horrifies me knowing that's the water my dad has to drink, wash his hands and take a shower in,' Ulises continued.  Parias said the 'water with larvae, water with little black worms' is 'slowly killing' detainees in the facility His father, a TikTok live streamer, was arrested in October for allegedly assaulting a federal officer with his vehicle during an ICE operation. The charge was later dismissed by a judge but he remains in federal custody.  Margaret Hellerstein, Parias's immigration attorney, said the conditions at the center where Parias is being held are deplorable, and many fellow detainees have complained of foul odors and debris in the water.  'There had been many, many complaints for months about the water having a foul smell, that it tastes wrong, that it's got garbage floating in it,' she told the outlet.  'It should not be difficult to get clean water from an outside source.' Hellerstein urged the public to 'believe the evidence in front of their eyes and not believe the statements that ICE is making because these are living creatures swimming in a bottle of water.' A spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the outlet the facility in Adelanto receives its water from the City of Adelanto, and the agency said the facility uses the same water supply provided to local businesses and restaurants.  The agency further cited information from the city's water service website, which says that samples from wells and 36 locations across the city are tested by third-party, state-certified laboratories before water reaches the facility, the outlet reported.  A spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the outlet the facility in Adelanto receives its water from the City of Adelanto, and the agency said the facility uses the same water supply provided to local businesses and restaurants Parias, seen being arrested in October 2025, remains in federal custody pending his deportation to Mexico, despite the recent dismissal of his federal assault charge The video surfaced just weeks after a federal judge ordered ICE to provide those detained at the facility 'clean, potable drinking water' in 24 hours, The Guardian reported.  The ruling followed a class-action lawsuit that accused the facility of forcing detainees to endure 'dangerous conditions,' including allegedly denying sufficient food, clean drinking water and adequate medical care,' according to the outlet.  In a statement to The Guardian, Parias said: 'This is what they give us: contaminated water, water with larvae, water with little black worms, which is slowly killing each one of us who are detained here.' He said he preserved the water in the water bottle to provide evidence of the conditions.  'We need proper drinking water, better treatment,' he added.  Hellerstein said she was 'horrified and disgusted' by the video. 'I felt sick to my stomach,' she told the outlet. 'This is video evidence. They can't just sweep it under the rug.' The Daily Mail has contacted ICE for comment.