‘Zero Tolerance’ Crackdown Was Riddled With Communication Failures, Planning Shortfalls And Chaos, Watchdog Finds
HHS investigators describe a poorly coordinated interagency process that left distraught parents with little or no knowledge of their children’s whereabouts, according to an unpublished internal watchdog report obtained by The Washington Post. Meanwhile, the government is now moving detained children in middle-of-the-night journeys to a tent city in Texas, and an official downplays the impact of the administration's expanded "public charge" policy.
The Washington Post:
Trump’s Family Separation Policy Was Flawed From The Start, Watchdog Review Says
The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” crackdown at the border this spring was troubled from the outset by planning shortfalls, widespread communication failures and administrative indifference to the separation of small children from their parents, according to an unpublished report by the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog. The report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, is the government’s first attempt to autopsy the chaos produced between May 5 and June 20, when President Trump abruptly halted the separations under mounting pressure from his party and members of his family. (Miroff, Sacchetti and Kim, 10/1)
The New York Times:
The Government Is Moving Migrant Children To A Texas Tent City. Here’s What’s Behind It.
More than 1,600 migrant children have been sent with little notice on late-night voyages to their new home: a barren tent city in West Texas, where they do not receive schooling and have limited access to legal representation. The Trump administration opened the facility because shelters that house migrant children have been overflowing. Here’s a look at what’s happening. (Dickerson, 10/1)
The New York Times:
For Private Prisons, Detaining Immigrants Is Big Business
Thomas W. Beasley had something for sale, and figured he could market it the same as any other merchandise. “You just sell it like you were selling cars or real estate or hamburgers,” he told an interviewer. That was three decades ago. Only Mr. Beasley wasn’t hawking new wheels, beachfront property or beef patties. His stock in trade was prison bars. As a co-founder of Corrections Corporation of America in 1983, and with a get-tough-on-crime spirit ascendant in the country, he sold lockup space to federal and state governments that were jailing people faster than they could find room in their own institutions. (Haberman, 10/1)
Texas Tribune:
Southwest Key Hires Child Welfare Organization To Review Processes
The nation’s largest operator of migrant youth shelters, Southwest Key Programs, has asked a child welfare organization to review its training and hiring practices, as allegations of sexual misconduct and lax vetting procedures have threatened to bar the nonprofit from working in Arizona. (Najmabadi, 10/1)
The Hill:
Top Trump Immigration Official Downplays Impact Of 'Public Charge' Proposal
The Trump administration’s top immigration official downplayed the attempted impact of a new proposal that would restrict green cards and visas for immigrants who use public benefits. Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the proposed “public charge” rule is very specific in the scope of benefits it targets, and the number of immigrants who are eligible for those benefits, or who could become eligible for those benefits, is limited. (Weixel, 10/1)
The Star Tribune:
Trump Proposal Stokes Anxiety Among Minnesota Immigrants
The rule would greatly broaden a long-standing “public charge” policy, which was designed to stop immigration by people likely to become dependent on cash welfare. It would expand the rule to include a wide range of noncash benefits, including Medicaid, federal nutrition programs, housing vouchers and low-income prescription drug subsidies under Medicare. Use of any of those programs could disqualify an immigrant from obtaining a green card or extending a visa. Administration officials say the rule would ensure that people who emigrate to the United States can support themselves and will not become a drain on public resources. Advocates fear that, as an unintended consequence, it will prevent immigrant families from seeking preventive medical care, getting checkups for their children, finding safe housing or buying nutritious food. (Serres, 10/1)
Kaiser Health News:
Immigrants’ Health Premiums Far Exceed What Plans Pay For Their Care
President Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned U.S. immigration policy, arguing that many immigrants pose a threat to the nation and drain U.S. resources. But a study released Monday about health insurance challenges the president’s portrayal. The study in the journal Health Affairs found that immigrants covered by private health insurance and their employers contributed nearly $25 billion more in premiums in 2014 than was spent on their care. Those in the country without legal status contributed nearly $8 billion toward the surplus. (Heredia Rodriguez, 10/1)
