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A28    u.s. news
                    Diaranson 23 Juni 2021

                           Migrant youth describe desperation to leave large shelters



            (AP) - A 13-year-old Hon-    The  children  were  inter-                                                            port  said.  In  their  court  fil-
            duran girl who spent two  viewed  by  immigrant  advo-                                                              ing this week, advocates who
            months  at  the  govern-     cates  from  March  to  June,                                                          say  children  are  languish-
            ment’s  largest  emergency  and their accounts were filed                                                           ing  in  the  massive,  tent-like
            shelter  for  migrant  chil-  late  Monday  with  a  federal                                                        structures  questioned  why
            dren  said  she  was  put  on  court  in  Los  Angeles  that                                                        the  government  is  keeping
            suicide  watch  and  was  oversees  a  longstanding  set-                                                           so many in those unlicensed
            eating  only  popsicles  and  tlement  governing  custody                                                           shelters  rather  than  placing
            juice  because  the  food  conditions  for  children  who                                                           them in licensed facilities or
            smelled so foul. At anoth-   cross the border alone.                                                                with foster families.
            er  site,  a  17-year-old  Sal-
            vadoran  girl  said  she  had  Advocates have said for weeks                                                        After this many months, that
            to  wear  the  same  clothes  that  President  Joe  Biden’s                                                         “remains a complete mystery
            and  underwear  for  two  administration  is  taking  too                                                           to us,” said Leecia Welch, se-
            weeks and spent most days  long  to  release  children  to                                                          nior  director  of  legal  advo-
            in bed.                      relatives in the United States                                                         cacy and child welfare at the
                                         and  that  conditions  at  some                                                        National  Center  for  Youth
            At a third facility in Texas, a  of the unlicensed emergency  exercise  classes  and  weekly  observed her every move —  Law  and  one  of  the  lawyers
            16-year-old  Honduran  boy  facilities  are  inadequate  and  meetings with case managers  measures  meant  to  protect  for  children  in  the  federal
            said  he  had  not  met  with  a  distressing.  The Obama  and  are now available, along with  her from harming herself.  case. “And it’s not for lack of
            case  manager  for  more  than  Trump  administrations  also  a library on site that children                       asking  the  question.  We’re
            three  weeks  to  see  whether  faced  challenges  addressing  can visit anytime, the depart-  She  said  she  was  told  if  she  simply  not  getting  an  an-
            he could go live with his sis-  the  care  of  unaccompanied  ment said.               tried  to  escape,  she  would  swer.”
            ter in New Orleans.          migrant children.                                         spend a longer time in deten-
                                                                      In  their  accounts,  the  chil-  tion. When she filed her ac-  A  hearing  is  scheduled  for
            “I  am  desperate.  I  wouldn’t  The  Biden  administration  dren — who are not named  count, she said she had been  next  week  with  the  federal
            mind being here for 20 or 30  said  significant  improve-  in  the  court  filings  —  de-  at  the  facility  for  nearly  60  judge overseeing the case.
            days if I knew that I was go-  ments  have  been  made,  in-  scribe  waiting  for  weeks  or  days  and  didn’t  know  when
            ing to be released soon. But  cluding  redoubling  efforts  more than a month in facili-  she  could  go  live  in  New  All  emergency  shelters  are
            because  the  process  hasn’t  to  swiftly  reunify  kids  with  ties with little to do, minimal  Mexico with her uncle, who  required  to  provide  clean,
            started  and  because  I  had  their families or move them  education and no knowledge  told  her  that  he  had  com-  comfortable  sleeping  spaces,
            no idea what’s happening or  to licensed long-term care fa-  of when they will be allowed  pleted the paperwork for her  toiletries, laundry and access
            when  the  process  will  start,  cilities. That has resulted in a  to leave.          release.                     to medical and mental health
            that makes me feel very, very  drop in the number of chil-                                                          services, according to the De-
            anxious. I don’t know when  dren  in  emergency  shelters,  At Fort Bliss, the Honduran  “I have been here for a really  partment of Health and Hu-
            this will end,” he said.     from a high of about 14,500  girl on suicide watch said she  long  time.  I  really  want  to  man  Services.  Kids  also  can
                                         in April to fewer than 8,000  could  hardly  sleep  at  night  leave,” she said.       confidentially  submit  feed-
            More  than  a  dozen  immi-  children   now,   according  because  the  lights  were  al-                           back in comment boxes.
            grant children described sim-  to  the  U.S.  Department  of  ways on and she found her-  Record arrivals of unaccom-
            ilar  conditions  and  despera-  Health and Human Services,  self  sleeping  during  the  day.  panied migrant children have  The government contends it
            tion to get out of large-scale  the agency in charge of their  She  said  the  food  was  hor-  tested the Biden administra-  shut down any sites that did
            emergency  care  facilities  set  care.                   rible,  including  soggy  salad  tion,  which  has  picked  up  not meet those standards and
            up by the Biden administra-                               and  foul-smelling  bread,  so  nearly  60,000  of  them  from  are closing more as the need
            tion at places like convention  At the Fort Bliss Army Base  she  resorted  to  eating  only  February  to  May,  many  of  decreases.
            centers and military bases to  in El Paso, Texas, the admin-  popsicles and juice.     them from Central America.
            address  a  record  rise  in  the  istration’s  largest  emergency                                                  But  advocates  fear  more
            number of children crossing  shelter,  the  number  of  chil-  She said that while on suicide  The  government  opened  children could end up at the
            the U.S.-Mexico border.      dren has dropped from about  watch, pens and pencils were  more  than  a  dozen  emer-  unlicensed  emergency  sites
                                         4,800 to 1,600. Activities like  taken  from  her  and  guards  gency intake sites this spring  because Texas Gov. Greg Ab-
                                                                                                   to  respond  quickly  to  over-  bott has ordered the closure
                                                                                                   crowding  at  Customs  and  of  federally  funded  shelters
                                                                                                   Border  Protection  facilities,  that  house  migrant  kids  in
                                                                                                   one  of  which  was  holding  that state. The Biden admin-
                                                                                                   4,000  people  in  a  space  in-  istration  has  threatened  to
                                                                                                   tended  for  250  and  keeping  take  legal  action  if  the  Re-
                                                                                                   many  for  weeks,  far  past  a  publican governor carries out
                                                                                                   three-day limit.             the order. More than half of
                                                                                                                                migrant  children  sheltered
                                                                                                   At the emergency sites, chil-  by  the  U.S.  government  in
                                                                                                   dren were expected to remain  licensed facilities are in Texas.
                                                                                                   for a week or two until they
                                                                                                   could be reunited with rela-  At a facility in Houston that
                                                                                                   tives in the United States or  has since closed, the 17-year-
                                                                                                   sent to more stable locations,  old  from  El  Salvador  she
                                                                                                   such  as  state-licensed  long-  couldn’t  shower  for  eight
                                                                                                   term facilities or foster care.  days and was told to turn her
                                                                                                                                underwear inside out because
                                                                                                   More  than  2,100  children  there  was  no  laundry.  She
                                                                                                   were  housed  at  emergency  said  children  were  limited
                                                                                                   facilities for over 40 days and  on when they could use the
                                                                                                   more than 2,600 for 21 to 40  bathroom and that she would
                                                                                                   days  at  the  end  of  May,  ac-  cry at night.
                                                                                                   cording to the government’s
                                                                                                   June  report  to  the  court.  “We spent most of the day in
                                                                                                   About a third of transitional  our beds at Houston because
                                                                                                   foster  care  beds  remained  there was nothing else to do,”
                                                                                                   empty, as did nearly 600 beds  she said. “I felt very desper-
                                                                                                   at  licensed  shelters,  the  re-  ate.”
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