Watchdog: US Whistleblowers Allegedly Faced Retaliation For Exposing Treatment of Migrant Children

Facts

• According to a report released on Tuesday by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Inspector General, staff working at a temporary housing center in Fort Bliss, Texas feared retaliation if they raised concerns about the treatment of unaccompanied migrant children.
• The report examined the struggle of the Office for Refugee Resettlement (ORR) [part of the HHS] to house unprecedented numbers of unaccompanied children - it cited two examples of alleged retaliation against whistleblowers, including demotion and removal from assignments. The HHS also concluded that actions against those who spoke out led staff to withhold complaints or reports of misconduct.
• Children aged 9 to 17 arriving at the US-Mexico border - primarily from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador - reported harsh conditions in US emergency shelters last year, including spoiled food, lack of clean clothing, and struggles with depression. As of June 2021, 14.5K children were reportedly in HHS custody. Some reported waiting for months in facilities like Fort Bliss.
• According to the results of the HHS's year-long investigation, untrained staff and contractors at the Fort Bliss tent camp, the largest US shelter for migrant children, were ill-prepared to place thousands of unaccompanied minors with family members in the US. Children are said to have developed anxiety attacks, presented suicide risks, and developed escape plans as a result of their weeks-long stay at the camp.
• Recommendations for the release of children into the custody of adults were reportedly made by inexperienced case managers, and “failed to consider children's significant history of abuse and neglect or whether sex offenders resided in the potential sponsor's household.”
• The ORR was dealing with a “substantial increase” of unaccompanied children, along with reduced staff due to COVID regulations at the time. The rise led to the opening of 14 emergency shelters, including Fort Bliss. The Office of Inspector General spoke with 66 ORR staff, reviewed HHS documents, and visited Fort Bliss in June 2021 to prepare the report.

Sources: Reuters, Yahoo, CBS, and Oig.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by The Guardian. While these allegations are concerning, the Biden administration is doing all it can to move migrant children out of custody as quickly and safely as possible. Unfortunately, the admin has few good options right now, having inherited the changes made by Trump to reduce asylum and refugee processing, as well as an artificial backup at the border caused by COVID and the previous administration's policies.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Hill. The Biden administration should keep unaccompanied children in refugee centers outside of the US while their claims are being considered - not within the country. Current policies encourage further migration - something Americans don't want, and that the US government can't afford. The numbers traveling across the border have only risen so sharply because the Democrats are such a soft touch on immigration.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by MSNBC. There needs to be a deeper reckoning among Americans regarding their country’s immigration policies. The gross mistreatment of migrant children by US authorities has spanned multiple administrations. Yet, the majority of Americans who support Democrats don’t seem as concerned about this mistreatment as when it was occurring under the Trump administration. Democrats and Republicans alike have failed voters, and innocent children have suffered as a result of their ineptitude.