TW: suicide, child abuse
At Fort Bliss, a military base in El Paso, Texas, hundreds of unaccompanied children who crossed the US-Mexico border to seek asylum are sleeping under one big tent.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-chi…
Some have been there for weeks — others were held there for months — as authorities worked to track down a relative who could take them out of government custody.
In recent court filings, children complained of insomnia, inedible food, and depression.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-bid…
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
President Biden and his administration pledged to create a “humane asylum system” — one that abandoned images of kids in cages in favor of recognizing the legal right to seek protection from violence and repression.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-chi…
.@ShawDrake1, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, has visited the military base, which now doubles as an emergency shelter, twice.
What he saw was too many children in one confined space, conditions that make it difficult for staff to keep track of what’s even happening.
Those conditions have led some children to attempt suicide and other forms of self-harm, according to testimony filed in June.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-chi…
The Biden administration insists it's doing better — and in many ways it has, having reduced the number of kids in its custody and placing them in the care of family and friends.
businessinsider.com/immigrant-kids…
By contrast, Drake said, the Trump administration allowed children to languish in Border Patrol facilities that were never intended to host them.
At least five children died in them between 2018 and 2019.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-chi…
Emergency intake shelters like the one at Fort Bliss are an improvement, a fact that could have led to some complacency under the Biden administration — or at least confidence that progress was sufficient in the wake of the Trump administration.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-chi…
Beyond improving conditions, Drake said the search should begin as soon as a child is received by Border Patrol.
On-site staff from the Department of Health and Human Services could help some avoid further detention altogether.
businessinsider.com/fort-bliss-chi…
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