Thread by @amnestyusa

Today we are releasing a report on the Homestead Temporary Influx Facility, which currently detains more than 1100 migrant children.

Amnesty has toured Homestead twice. It is clear that @HHSGov and @SecAzar must shut it down.

Here is what we found. fal.cn/32Zo5

@HHSGov @SecAzar Unaccompanied children at Homestead are held in prolonged and indefinite detention.

Care and conditions are not adequately centered on the best interests of the child, undermining their well-being and potentially endangering their security.

@HHSGov @SecAzar Homestead may be a 'temporary' shelter, but children are being detained for weeks at a time.

When we toured in April, the average stay was 64 days. Now it is down to 25 – but any day in detention is too long.

@HHSGov @SecAzar International human rights standards state that children should never be detained, as it is not in their best interests.

If kids are detained, it must only be as a last resort, for the shortest possible time, in the least restrictive setting possible. Homestead fails this test.

@HHSGov @SecAzar Homestead is not a place for children.

The facility forces rigid discipline upon the schedule and movements of children. They must wear ID badges with barcodes that are scanned wherever they go. Services and basic supplies are accessible only through various request forms.

@HHSGov @SecAzar If a child needs additional sanitary pads after a initial shelter intake processing, they have to submit a “service request form.” Need to see the doctor? Submit a “medical request form.” Want to see your lawyer? Submit a “legal request form.”

@HHSGov @SecAzar In April, the phone for reporting sexual abuse was in an open-air cubicle next to a ping-pong table in a rec room. Who would want to report sexual abuse on this phone?

The ping pong table’s been moved but the problem remains: children need privacy to report allegations of abuse.

@HHSGov @SecAzar Many children in Homestead do not have access in-person case managers or clinicians (social workers), and instead speak remotely with case managers or clinicians in Texas.

This is not adequate. Children fleeing violence need 1:1 adult care.

@HHSGov @SecAzar Homestead could be shut down quickly.

The majority of children have family sponsors waiting for them. Why aren’t they being reunited faster?

@HHSGov @SecAzar Our conclusion from our research is this:

Kids should not be detained. Ever. Detention harms them, and violates their rights.

They should be in homes with their families.

Tell @SecAzar @HHSGov: #CloseHomestead.
act.amnestyusa.org/page/45441/act…