How The Department Of Homeland Security Found Itself At The Heart Of Deep Moral Dilemmas
The New York Times takes a look inside the agency that so often is the face of President Donald Trump's immigration strategy that has led to national outrage over how it is being implemented. Meanwhile, Border Patrol is investigating those involved with a secret Facebook group that included posts joking about migrant deaths. Other news from the border crisis focuses on the companies running the shelters, pediatricians' concerns over the health of children, and the conditions at the facilities.
The New York Times:
Inside Trump’s Border Wars
On the last day of March, Kirstjen Nielsen set off for what was supposed to be a weeklong trip to Europe with a packed itinerary. In London, she would meet with British officials on counterterrorism matters, then travel on to Stockholm to discuss election security with her Swedish counterparts and finally head to Paris, where she would represent the United States at a meeting of Group of 7 interior ministers. These are some of the far-flung obligations of the secretary of homeland security, who bears responsibility for not only thwarting terrorist attacks and preventing foreign interference in American elections but also cleaning up after hurricanes and ensuring that the United States doesn’t cede control of the Arctic to Russia and China. (Zengerle, 7/16)
The Washington Post:
CBP Is Investigating Dozens Of Employees For Alleged Roles In Facebook Group That Ridiculed Migrants
Sixty-two U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees and eight former employees have come under investigation for possible misconduct for their alleged participation in a secret Facebook group, where members shared racist and sexist memes, cracked jokes about migrant deaths and made derogatory remarks about Latina members of Congress. (Hauslohner, 7/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Border Officials Are Investigated For Role In Facebook Group With Violent And Sexist Posts
On Monday, officials for the first time provided details of the recently launched federal investigation into the 9,500-member group, known as “I’m 10-15,” the code used by Border Patrol for migrants in custody. The probe was spurred by a ProPublica report that revealed the existence of the group and its vulgar posts, including an illustration of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being sexually assaulted by President Trump. Other posts mocked migrants who drowned in the Rio Grande. (O'Toole, 7/15)
The New York Times:
$3.6 Million In Pay For Head Of Nonprofit Shelter Operator
The leader of the nation’s largest provider of migrant shelters for children was paid $3.6 million during the charity’s most recent tax year, even as the nonprofit organization came under intense scrutiny for its high compensation packages for executives and for its decision to accept children separated from their families by the Trump administration. Juan Sanchez, the chief executive of Southwest Key Programs, received that income, which included life insurance and retirement benefits, between September 2017 and August 2018. (Barker, Kulish and Ruiz, 7/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
System Under Strain: How The U.S. Actually Manages The Thousands Of Migrant Families Entering Each Day
The record number of families entering the U.S. and requesting asylum has overloaded a border enforcement system not designed to safely and quickly process them. Here is a step-by-step look at the process families go through and where the system is straining. (Wang, Caldwell and Wang, 7/16)
Georgia Health News:
Prominent Georgia Pediatrician Says Children Suffering In Border Facilities
Dr. Sally Goza of Fayetteville, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Monday that the visit by herself and other pediatricians underscored the organization’s position that the Border Patrol facilities are not a good place for children, and that kids should be there for as short a time as possible. (Miller, 7/15)
The CT Mirror:
DeLauro, Fellow Democrats, Decry Conditions At Center For Migrant Youth
Rep. Rosa DeLauro and a group of fellow Democrats toured a facility that holds migrant youth in southern Florida on Monday and said they are both dissatisfied with conditions at the center and information they received about the children’s care. DeLauro , D-3rd District, said the lawmakers left the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children with questions about the standard of care at the center and about how long it takes for children to be placed with family in the United States. (Radelat, 7/15)
