Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump, Homeland Security Chief Deny Reports Of Inhumane Conditions At Facilities Holding Immigrant Youth
The New York Times: Trump And His Aides Dismiss Reports Of Disease And Hunger In Border Facilities
President Trump and his top immigration officials on Sunday contested reports that migrant children were being held in horrific conditions in federal detention facilities, as the administration argued that the government was enforcing oversight standards even as it struggled to house and care for an influx of migrants. Accounts of disease, hunger and overcrowding have multiplied in recent days, but Kevin K. McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, the acting director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, maintained that the facilities were safe. (Cochrane, 7/7)
The Associated Press: DHS Official Defends Conditions At Border Patrol Stations
"It's an extraordinarily challenging situation," McAleenan told ABC's "This Week." The Homeland Security Department's internal watchdog provided new details Tuesday about the overcrowding in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. The report said children at three facilities had no access to showers and that some children under age 7 had been held in jammed centers for more than two weeks. Some cells were so cramped that adults were forced to stand for days on end. (7/7)
Politico: Migrant Detention Presents 'Extraordinarily Challenging Situation,' DHS Chief Says
“So, I’m not denying that there are challenging situations at the border. I’ve been the one talking about it the most,” he continued. “What I can tell you right now is that there's adequate food, water, and that the reason those children were at Clint station in the first place is so they could have medical consolidated; they had shower facilities — for over a year there’s been showers there. So, this is why we try to provide a better situation for the brief time they’re supposed to spend at the border.” (Forgey, 7/7)
The Washington Post: HHS To Media: Don’t Call Our Youth Shelters ‘Detention Centers’
Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber recalls how he briefed workers at a housing facility for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Tex., after the Associated Press wrote a short article about its opening. “I’m sorry to report that they called this a detention center,” says Weber in an interview with the Erik Wemple Blog, noting that the assembled professionals groaned. “But I am happy to say that at least they said we were providing educational services.” (Wemple, 7/5)
