Florida Law Hampers Child Abuse And Neglect Background Screenings For Workers At Migrant Detention Facility
A recent investigation also found that staff at a Texas facility haven’t even undergone FBI fingerprint checks, let alone child welfare screenings. The Florida and Texas facilities can operate unlicensed and without required checks because they are located on federal property and thus don’t have to comply with state child welfare laws.
The Associated Press:
Caregivers For 3600 Migrant Teens Lack Complete Abuse Checks
Nearly every adult working with children in the U.S. — from nannies to teachers to coaches — has undergone state screenings to ensure they have no proven history of abusing or neglecting kids. One exception: thousands of workers at two federal detention facilities holding 3,600 migrant teens in the government’s care, The Associated Press has learned. The staff isn’t being screened for child abuse and neglect at a Miami-based emergency detention center because Florida law bans any outside employer from reviewing information in its child welfare system. Until recently at another facility holding migrant teens in Tornillo, Texas, staff hadn’t even undergone FBI fingerprint checks, let alone child welfare screenings, a government report found. (Mendoza and Burke, 12/7)
In other news —
Texas Tribune:
Migrant Families May Face Prolonged Detention In Texas. This Mom Lived It.
Advocates have alleged that the facilities lack adequate education, medical care and mental health services. Earlier this year, a toddler from Guatemala named Mariee Juarez died after developing an infection and respiratory symptoms inside Dilley. Adelina Pruneda, a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that family residential centers “operate in an open environment” that includes medical care, play rooms, social workers, educational services and access to lawyers. (Armus, 12/10)
WBUR:
Whistleblowers Warn Of Harmful Conditions For Children In Migrant Detention Centers
Physicians Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson discuss the abuses they witnessed in government detention centers when they inspected the facilities for the Department of Homeland Security. (Martin, 12/8)
