According to a new report from the Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services, migrant children fleeing violence in their native countries have experienced severe psychological trauma before and after entering the country when we separated them from their families and placed them in detention facilities pursuant to the Trump Administration’s so-called ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
In another report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, investigators found prolonged detention and serious overcrowding in these facilities. In three of the five facilities, for example, government investigators found children had no access to showers and limited access to change of clothes. In two detention centers, children also had no access to hot meals. Additionally, public reporting revealed that some children were molested and/or emotionally and physically abused while in federally-funded-custody. Moreover, while the administration claimed that it would reunite families separated at the border, some government officials conceded that they lacked requisite information to reconnect children with their parents. This webinar discusses this continuing crisis.