Migrant Children... Detention Centers... Abuse... Some Ugly Truths

So we've all heard about the "kids in cages" and seen the crying girl about to be "ripped" from her mother's arms... and we now know that both of those situations were not what they were initially represented as. Whether it was knowing and deliberate deception is subject for debate, but not the misrepresentation.

In the first case, the pic was genuine, just the date was misrepresented; the pic was taken in 2014 while Obama was president, not recently while Trump was president. But it is true that under both presidents, children detained at the border are housed in such conditions (i.e., large warehouse-type settings with chain link fencing to create cubicles). In the second case, the little girl was indeed crying, she and her mother were in fact detained at the border, and it did happen recently, but the little girl was never separated from her mother. Both of these stories were grossly misrepresented, but promoted amid great controversy and (faux) outrage.

Also grossly misrepresented is the frequency that children are actually separated from their parents:

...new data released by the government show very few such children have been impacted. As of this week, the Department of Health and Human Services had more than 11,600 migrant children in its care -- roughly 80% of whom are children who came to the US by themselves. But of that total, a much smaller number were under the age of 13, or what is referred to as "tender age" children, and even fewer still were under five. Since the initiative to prosecute all adults crossing the border illegally -- including those with children -- went into effect, only 36 children under age five have entered HHS care -- and not all of those were necessarily separated from adults with them because of the policy.

And here's the thing: The media and the political critters have refused to cover far worse stories of abuse of far more of these migrant children, much less make such a public stink about it. For example, this lawsuit was filed against the federal government April 16, 2018:

Migrant children suffered physical abuse, including forced injections of psychotropic drugs, at private youth shelters contracted by the U.S. government to house undocumented minors... [and] that the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement "routinely" places migrant children on psychotropic drugs without parental consent and without telling the kids about the medication "in utter disregard of state laws."

Children said they were given as many as 18 pills a day and often were not told what the medication was for....If the children refused the medications they would be punished or physically forced to take them, according to the lawsuit.

Julio, a boy who was held at the Shiloh Treatment Center in Texas, which specializes in treating kids with behavioral or emotional problems, said he saw staff members hold another child down, pry his mouth open and force pills into his mouth. Julio said he was told that the only way to be released from the facility was to take the medication. Julio also said he was handcuffed, locked in a cell and pepper sprayed by staff members at Shiloh.

"Sometimes they give me forced injections," a girl named Rosa was quoted as saying in the lawsuit. "One or two staff members hold my arms and the nurse gives me an injection."

Migrant children describe abuse, being forcibly medicated at youth shelters: lawsuit

And then there's this:

Immigrant children as young as 14 housed at a juvenile detention center in Virginia say they were beaten while handcuffed and locked up for long periods in solitary confinement, left nude and shivering in concrete cells.

The abuse claims against the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center near Staunton, Virginia, are detailed in federal court filings that include a half-dozen sworn statements from Latino teens jailed there for months or years. Multiple detainees say the guards stripped them of their clothes and strapped them to chairs with bags placed over their heads.

In addition to the children's first-hand, translated accounts in court filings, a former child-development specialist who worked inside the facility independently told The Associated Press this week that she saw kids there with bruises and broken bones they blamed on guards. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to publicly discuss the children's cases.

And this isn't new information. After two deaths at this same facility, and some real investigative journalism exposing the abuses, House Rep Sheila Jackson Lee issued this statement:

“I am appalled by record of abuse and mistreatment of children at the Shiloh Treatment Center in Manvel documented by the Houston Chronicle in an expose published December 19, 2014. The abuses documented in that report – ranging from physical violence, unreasonable and excessive use of physical restraints, administering emergency medications without notice to governmental authorities, and several deaths of minor children while in custody – is not reflective of the quality of care and support that should be provided to the at-risk children, including the dozens of unaccompanied immigrant children, committed to its care.

“Because of these deficiencies I believe the time has come for the State of Texas to order the closure of the Shiloh Treatment Center. At a minimum, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should terminate immediately the contract awarded to Shiloh Treatment Center to provide shelter and treatment to unaccompanied children apprehended by the Border Patrol.

But it wasn't closed.

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a reply to: Boadicea

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A recent CNN article has a couple statements that are chilling in their implications:

...according to a first-person sworn declaration in a current legal motion against the federal government for unlawful and inappropriate detainment of children. His account is one of dozens describing overloaded and secretive shelters, treatment centers and secure detention facilities for undocumented minors, which at their worst have allegedly been home to neglect, assault and other horrific abuse.

The allegations in these documents, as well as recent facility inspection reports and other lawsuits, range from unsanitary conditions and invasive monitoring of mail and phone calls to unair-conditioned rooms in hot Texas summers and dosing children with cocktails of psychotropic drugs disguised as vitamins. At one facility, children recounted being held down for forcible injections, which medical records show are powerful antipsychotics and sedatives.

And --

"There seems to be a level of cruel intent I've never seen before and a real indifference to the well-being of a child," said Holly Cooper, one of the many attorneys challenging the government's detainment of minors.

It doesn't help that these detention centers operate under cover of darkness in the name of protecting the kids "privacy." Unfortunately, they're not doing such a good job protecting their persons and other best interests. It's a problem when our congress critters cannot even gain entry to these facilities for oversight and observation, as many have learned recently:
Legislators were turned away from ICE detention centers
Senator blocked from entering detention center housing migrants' kids

And it's not just one or two or half a dozen; it's detentions centers all over the nation, run by various entities, including for-profit prison corps.

ACLU Obtains Documents Showing Widespread Abuse of Child Immigrants in U.S. Custody

An ATS thread by Kharron -- Policy and Profit – a possible link between immigration and the prison system -- discusses the for-profit prisons running many of these detention centers, and I have found reports of abuse (and an ongoing lawsuit filed in 2014) at these centers. Such as ones run by GEO Group --

But multiple detainees have gone on hunger strikes or attempted suicide over the conditions since at least March 2017.

In the summer of 2017, nine asylum seekers from El Salvador went on a hunger strike at the facility, demanding better food and clean water.

In June 2017, the group was beaten and pepper-sprayed when they locked arms and tried to get a guard to hear their demands.

A lawsuit representing about 62,000 detainees at GEO Group's detention center in Aurora, Colorado, was filed in 2014 over forced manual labor, and is in still in the courts.

The state of Washington is also suing GEO Group over paying detainees less than the minimum wage at a center in Tacoma, Washington, where they have gone on multiple hunger strikes over low pay and poor food.

And, of course, it's not just physical abuse, there are also many reports of sexual assault, by both detained kids and staff. Worse, there are concerns that migrant children have been released to sex traffickers. Could it happen? Sure. We know this happened:

Obama administration placed children with human traffickers, report says

And this happened:

The U.S. lost track of 1,475 immigrant children last year.

So why not sex traffickers?

I'm not going to play the "but Trump!" or "but Obama!" game... Obama is responsible for what did and did not happen on his watch. Trump is responsible for what is and is not happening on his watch. Congress critters -- past and present -- are responsible for what did and did not happen on their watch. And we're ALL responsible for what happened on OUR watch.

I expect we'll be hearing far more about this in the very near future. (And we damn well should!) Especially if this is any indication: Trump says that Democrats are responsible for a 'massive child smuggling industry' in the United States:

The president says that 'traffickers are making a fortune' and its all thanks to loopholes he says are the fault of Democrats that exist in the immigration system. 'It's a whole big con job,' the president charged in a Cabinet meeting. 'They've let it happen.'

The propaganda has died its natural death. But there is much truth out there that still needs to be dealt with. And there's no GOOD reason why the media and political critters should be promoting propaganda when there is so much ugly truth to be dealt with. Unless they're protecting someone. Probably many someones.

Links used in OP, and a few more for further reading:

Obama officials rushed to explain photos from 2014 that went viral showing locked-up immigrant children — and Trump's facilities look the same

Washington Post: Time magazine’s major mistake on the crying-girl cover

Despite separations, very few young children handed to Department of Health and Human Services

USA Today: Migrant children describe abuse, being forcibly medicated at youth shelters: lawsuit

Beatings, bags over their heads, racial slurs: Young migrants detained in Virginia allege abuse in lawsuit

Houston Chronicle: Federal agency's shelter oversight raises questions

Sheila Jackson Lee: Shiloh Treatment Center in Manvel Should be Closed by HHS for Unaccompanied Children

Democratic lawmaker says Obama administration tried to keep ‘quiet’ how many children illegally crossed border

Migrant children sent to shelters with histories of abuse allegations

ACLU Obtains Documents Showing Widespread Abuse of Child Immigrants in U.S. Custody

Southwest Key Hired Child Case Manager Previously Arrested for Child Pornography

Office of Refugee Resettlement -- Facts and Data

ATS Thread: Trump says that Democrats are responsible for a massive child smuggling industry in the U.S.

Three Flee Tucson’s Southwest Key Unaccompanied Alien Minor Compound
There were two scathing comments after the article, both from former employees:

Maria | October 10, 2015 at 11:56 am | I used to work for Southwest Key in Tucson and along with approximately 52 employees who resigned and currently many more quitting. From clinicians in mental health, to youth careworkers, to case managers all of whom have quit due to unethical things going on within the shelter which runs like a prison and mafia within itself. The lack of care for the children is of high concern. From clothing to personal hygiene items provided and food. To children remaining in the cafeteria from 8 am to 7pm without going outdoors due to management wanting to keep their grass green. From punishing all of the children because one child wrote on the bathroom wall. Employees having to make donations for food, diapers, activity projects, notebooks and pencils and so much more. Us employees were there for the well-being of the children. Children have been sexually abused in the shelter. Southwest key upper management kept telling us la familia. We take care of each other. My heart sank every time a child approach me telling me how hungry they were. Babies running out of milk formula. The news media is welcomed to interview all of us professionals who have resigned. I’m sure Southwest Key management will cover it up. All of us have to do something to help the children in that (Tucson Southwest Key-Estrella del Norte) shelter.

Matilde Bennett | December 11, 2015 at 10:00 pm | Wow! As a former Southwest Key Programs Nueva Esperanza I know about the unethical manner of operating the program. I have voiced my concerns to ORR but no responses. I will not give up until I’m heard!

a reply to: Boadicea

Excellent OP Boadicea. I couldn't agree more. While politicians and the media are spinning like crazy, there are people who are affected by this. But it is not just the illegal children who go through this. Children all over this country have been allowed to suffer and put on the back burner for political ideologies. That is the nation we have become under our elected leaders.

originally posted by: highvein
a reply to: Boadicea

Excellent OP Boadicea. I couldn't agree more. While politicians and the media are spinning like crazy, there are people who are affected by this. But it is not just the illegal children who go through this. Children all over this country have been allowed to suffer and put on the back burner for political ideologies. That is the nation we have become under our elected leaders.

Thank you! You make a very good point about the many children hurt in many ways by this gross mismanagement of our borders and resources. But I also refuse to make it an either/or situation. (ETA: To be more specific, it's not about either protecting our children vs. other children... We can at least be responsible enough to protect those other children from harm while in our custody.)

The first step is to stop attracting and/or inviting illegal migration in the first place.

originally posted by: Boadicea

originally posted by: highvein
a reply to: Boadicea

Excellent OP Boadicea. I couldn't agree more. While politicians and the media are spinning like crazy, there are people who are affected by this. But it is not just the illegal children who go through this. Children all over this country have been allowed to suffer and put on the back burner for political ideologies. That is the nation we have become under our elected leaders.

Thank you! You make a very good point about the many children hurt in many ways by this gross mismanagement of our borders and resources. But I also refuse to make it an either/or situation.

The first step is to stop attracting and/or inviting illegal migration in the first place.

That is true and I can agree to that to a certain extent. It is kind of like when you reach a part of the road that the traffic stops. You have to fix it before you can go any further. All immigration needs to stop so this problem can be assessed and re-evaluated. It sucks and it will cause a lot of pain for some people right now, but if we actually focus on it and start fixing it, it will be greatly appreciated by our future generations.

The moral of the story is, if you're going to break a nother "Nation's" law, don't drag your kids into it. We in the U.S. of A.,.. Should have a counter "protest" of "countries without borders". I've always thought, while we had Mexico City "under arms", why we just settled for southern Texas?

a reply to: Boadicea

Very nice work, Bo. This must have been the work you mentioned in my thread about the prison system and immigration (thanks for linking it, I appreciate that).

As I have gone on the record on this website that I am against forced vaccinations, I am equally against forced medications or injections, if all this is true. It is very concerning. Such treatment of children leaves all kinds of possibilities open -- are some being picked out and sold off into sexual slavery? With the way they are getting treated, is it really that hard to imagine?

I knew darker times were coming, I could feel it, but I really couldn't have imagined this, not so soon.

Thanks for the hard work.

a reply to: highvein

That is true and I can agree to that to a certain extent. It is kind of like when you reach a part of the road that the traffic stops. You have to fix it before you can go any further. All immigration needs to stop so this problem can be assessed and re-evaluated. It sucks and it will cause a lot of pain for some people right now, but if we actually focus on it and start fixing it, it will be greatly appreciated by our future generations.

Exactly! I usually compare it to a water leak... you have to shut off the main valve before repairing the leak. Then when you turn it on again it flows smoothly and properly.

And while it will result in some difficulties, if we keep on like this it will just result in the current problems increasing exponentially. So a little pain now is much better than greater pain later!

Your thread is 100% spot on.

The abuses that have taken place are our fault, and the conditions that created this mess is largely the fault of the United States and its War on Drugs.

There's plenty of blame for others too:
There are # parents, drug/human traffickers, unaccompanied children, unscrupulous government exemplifying lazy governance on both sides of the border, and no one wanting to make the hard choices or see the reality. We have the Mexican government ENCOURAGING illegal immigration into the US because they know if we ever started taking our border issue seriously, illegal immigration would be largely THEIR PROBLEM.

There are a lot of things we can do to stave off illegal immigration. We all discussed those things ad nauseam. It isn't one thing OR another. It is ending the War on Drugs AND fining/prosecuting employers, it's securing the border AND streamlining the process especially for exigent circumstances. Maybe we can change the asylum rules so that in some instances people can apply for asylum at our embassies and consulates so long as the security situation is conducive.

Entering the United States isn't a right. It is and always shall be a privilege. The right to be an American is earned when you're an immigrant and that shouldn't change.

We can satisfy that humanely and intelligently. What we can't do is open the floodgates and we certainly can't shut everyone out. It's the 21st century. This is a process of logistics and law enforcement and it is possible to solve it without the #storm we've turned this into.

a reply to: murphy22

The moral of the story is...

To put on our big boy shorts and big girl panties and stop hiding behind the bad behavior of others and accept responsibility for ourselves and our actions... both what we do and what we don't do.

Especially when children are being hurt. In our custody. On our watch.

a reply to: projectvxn

Thank you!!! That was beautifully said -- comprehensive, thoughtful, reasonable, on point.

Bravo!!!

I agree. There are plenty of people who have contributed to and compounded this problem. This isn't a left or a right problem and doesn't have a left or right solution. It's a human problem with human solutions. This never should have gotten to this point, and it's time to be responsible adults and find solutions.

Something just crossed my mind... if they are getting force injected, how do we know they are not getting force micro-chipped?

This could be the beginning of the NWO nightmare of forced micro-chipping we've all been afraid of. I think these kids need to be scanned for implants by alien experts once they are released. I'm not joking; I don't know what equipment they use for that, most likely just a hand-held metal detector, but I would want a full body scan after being detained in such circumstances.

originally posted by: Kharron
Something just crossed my mind... if they are getting force injected, how do we know they are not getting force micro-chipped?

That's a very scary thought. I could even see it being rationalized (I refuse to say "justified"!) as making it easier to identify repeat offenders (those who return after being deported).

This could be the beginning of the NWO nightmare of forced micro-chipping we've all been afraid of.

And if we accept it for "them," it will soon be forced on us.

I think these kids need to be scanned for implants by alien experts once they are released. I'm not joking; I don't know what equipment they use for that, most likely just a hand-held metal detector, but I would want a full body scan after being detained in such circumstances.

It might be as easy as taking them to a veterinarian... they would have scanning equipment.

a reply to: Boadicea

Yeah it would be very disturbing.

And I seriously doubt there would be a way to rationalize it -- it would be the modern day equivalent of a serial number on the forearm tattoo. How do you rationalize numbering people?

I hope none of that is going on, that's scary. I scared myself with that one, I gotta go water the garden and zone out a bit.

a reply to: Kharron

if they are getting force injected, how do we know they are not getting force micro-chipped?

Is there a reason for this kind of hyperbole?

This could be the beginning of the NWO nightmare of forced micro-chipping we've all been afraid of. I think these kids need to be scanned for implants by alien experts once they are released.

Huh?!

I'm not joking;

That's the worst part of this post.

a reply to: projectvxn

I'm afraid you underestimate the critters in charge... they've done much much worse. Some would do it just to make their buddy a pretty penny...

We're not dealing with reasonable people.

originally posted by: Boadicea

originally posted by: highvein
a reply to: Boadicea

Excellent OP Boadicea. I couldn't agree more.

The first step is to stop attracting and/or inviting illegal migration in the first place.

edit on 6/24/2018 by carewemust because: (no reason given)

a reply to: Boadicea

I like evidence.

It is exactly this kind of hyperbole and insanity that muddies the waters.

Remember that the next time you see Alex Jones effing up an issue you care about.

originally posted by: Boadicea

originally posted by: highvein
a reply to: Boadicea

Excellent OP Boadicea. I couldn't agree more. While politicians and the media are spinning like crazy, there are people who are affected by this. But it is not just the illegal children who go through this. Children all over this country have been allowed to suffer and put on the back burner for political ideologies. That is the nation we have become under our elected leaders.

The first step is to stop attracting and/or inviting illegal migration in the first place.

Yes. Kudos to Boadicea for an EXCELLENT and balanced Opening Post to start this thread!

Unfortunately, the way to stop "attracting" people to this country would be to turn it into a Sh$thole nation. That won't happen as long as Donald Trump is in charge.