Senators Concerned Alleged Widespread Sexual Abuse At Detention Facilities Isn’t Being Investigated Properly
“We find it intolerable and inexcusable that child care operators are not immediately investigating reports, contacting and fully assisting law enforcement, preserving evidence and demanding justice for these children,” Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) wrote to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Office. HHS records, which were released recently, detail 4,556 allegations of sexual abuse by children in immigration facilities from October 2014 to July 2018.
ProPublica:
Senators Demand Investigation Into Sexual Abuse at Immigrant Children’s Shelters
Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called on Wednesday for a federal investigation into what they termed “the alleged widespread and long-term pattern of sexual abuse” in the facilities holding immigrant children. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Office, the senators said they were particularly concerned that allegations of sexual assault aren’t being properly investigated. (Grabell and Sanders, 3/6)
The Hill:
Feinstein, Grassley Call For Investigation Into Minor Sexual Abuse At HHS Facilities
We respectfully request that you open an investigation into the alleged widespread and long-term pattern of sexual abuse against unaccompanied children in HHS facilities and reports that these cases of sexual assault are not being appropriately investigated," the senators wrote in a letter to Inspector General Daniel Levinson. (Frazin, 3/6)
Meanwhile, in other news —
Kaiser Health News:
A Mumps Quarantine In La. May Encroach On Rights Of Detained Immigrants
A mumps outbreak and quarantine at the Pine Prairie Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Louisiana blocked immigrants from legal resources, including their lawyers and the law library, for about two weeks in January and February, according to the attorneys. The outbreak has also raised questions about how officials dealing with public health concerns can undermine detainees’ legal rights. Lawyers said the illness did not stop immigration court proceedings — meaning from at least Feb. 3 to Feb. 14 quarantined individuals were required to continue with removal hearings, conducted from their dorm rooms via video chat, while not receiving access to legal aid. (Luthra and Appleby, 3/6)
