In case you missed it this week, here is what Inspector General John Roth reported to the Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security:
Inspector General's Report on Detention of Unaccompanied Minors
The LA Times has a detailed article. Here is an excerpt:
Many of the children and families who crossed the border illegally need treatment for communicable diseases, including tuberculosis, chicken pox and scabies, according to the inspector general’s report, released Thursday. Homeland Security workers said they had been exposed to such diseases while on duty and, in two cases, transmitted chicken pox to their children.
Another issue is sanitation. Some immigrants didn’t know how to use the bathrooms, the report said, resulting “in unsanitary conditions and exposure to human waste.”
Inspectors made 87 unannounced visits to 63 sites from July 1 to 15, in part because of an American Civil Liberties Union complaint that the Homeland Security Department was violating the civil rights and liberties of 116 unaccompanied children.
Contrary to allegations, the report said, “We did not observe misconduct or inappropriate conduct by DHS employees during our unannounced site visits.”
Some violations were found, however, including children held more than the 72-hour legal maximum because no permanent shelters were available. After 72 hours, children are supposed to be transferred to the Health and Human Services Department, which tries to place them with sponsors while they await an immigration hearing on whether they qualify to stay in the U.S. Under a 2008 law, children from all countries but Canada and Mexico are entitled to a hearing.
