‘Deficiencies Persist’ In Government’s Treatment Of Migrant Children, Bipartisan Senate Report Finds
The report faults the government for not having a single agency that is taking responsibility for the safety of the children, which makes them vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking. Agencies fired back, saying that the report didn't address congressional failures over the crisis. Meanwhile, a group of Democrats is demanding the government immediately reunite the children who are still in custody because of the zero tolerance policy with their families.
The Associated Press:
Senate Study Faults Government Care Of Migrant Children
The government has made only incremental improvements to its troubled efforts to care for thousands of migrant children detained entering the U.S. without their parents, perpetuating a problem the Trump administration has aggravated with its “zero tolerance” immigration crackdown, a bipartisan Senate report said Wednesday. The 52-page study said no federal agency takes responsibility for making sure children aren’t abused or used in human trafficking once the government places them with sponsors, who sometimes aren’t their parents or close relatives. (Fram, 8/15)
The Hill:
Senate Dems Demand Immediate Reunification Of Remaining Separated Children
A group of Senate Democrats is demanding that the Trump administration immediately work to reunify the more than 500 immigrant children in federal custody who were separated from their parents after crossing the southern border. The 17 Democrats, led by Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen calling for immediate action to reunite the families of 539 immigrant children still in government custody because of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. (Weixel, 8/15)
In other news —
NPR:
A Lack Of Interpreters Can Mean Subpar Care For Immigrants
Long before he began studying for a career in health care, Marlon Munoz performed one of the most sensitive roles in the field: delivering diagnoses to patients. As an informal interpreter between English-speaking doctors and his Spanish-speaking family and friends, Munoz knew well the burden that comes with the job. He still becomes emotional when he remembers having to tell his wife, Aibi Perez, she had breast cancer. (Eldred, 8/15)
