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Friday 8 February 2019

Official who oversaw migrant kids: Separation causes trauma

Continued from FDront agency dedicated to the
health and welfare of chil-
He served as the deputy dren, we need to know
director for the office that why.”
oversees migrant children, White said he attended
and was brought back briefings on the possibil-
from another post to over- ity of separating children
see reunification efforts. in 2017, but was told there
The hearing reflected the was no policy in place. He
priorities of newly empow- said he learned of the zero
ered Democrats who took tolerance policy from a
control of the House in news conference given by
January. Democrats were then-Attorney General Jeff
sharply critical of President Sessions.
Donald Trump’s family sep- White said he was not
aration policy and though aware that anyone the
the policy has ended, they U.S. Department of Health
continue to press for an- and Human Services knew
swers about how it came the policy was coming.
to be. White led the HHS effort to
“There is no evidence that reunify children with their
HHS leaders ever tried to parents. The department
stop this abhorrent policy,” made White available to
said subcommittee leader the committee after HHS From left, Acting Director at U.S. Government Accountability Office Kathryn Larin, Homeland
Diana DeGette, a Colo- Secretary Alex Azar chose Security and Justice Director Rebecca Gambler, HHS Assistant Inspector General Ann Maxwell
rado Democrat. “As the not to attend. and U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Commander Jonathan White are sworn
in before the House Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in
Washington, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.
Associated Press
Health and Human Ser- ligious leaders, lawmakers before the judge’s ruling,
vices agencies manage and health officials who they can’t say for sure how
the care of migrant chil- called them inhumane. many. Those children have
dren in the U.S., including They were stopped June already been released out
those separated from their 20 when Trump issued an to sponsors —in large part,
parents at the border. The executive order. A federal parents or close relatives.
vast majority of children judge ruled about a week The government is allowed
under their care, tens of later that the children had to separate children to pro-
thousands, cross the border to be reunified with their tect the safety and security
alone. parents. of the child if there are se-
“Separating children poses But there was no system in rious medical concerns, if
significant risk of traumatic place to connect children the parent has a criminal
psychological injury to the to their parents, who were history, if it’s unclear the
child,” White testified. He being held in Immigration person is a parent. White
said neither he nor anyone and Customs Enforcement said there is no process for
he worked with “would custody. White said officials parents to appeal a sepa-
ever have supported such combed through thou- ration.
a policy.” sands of records by hand The committee also heard
The separations were met to find children who had from a doctors, a child
with mass outrage from re- been separated. psychologist and advo-
The court ruling involved cacy groups that helped
about 2,700 children sepa- children separated by the
rated under the zero-tol- Trump administration.
erance policy where par- Attorney Lee Gelernt from
ents were criminally pros- the American Civil Liber-
ecuted for illegally entering ties Union, which filed the
the U.S. The HHS internal lawsuit that challenged
watchdog said last month the separations, said the
likely thousands more were policy was “the worst thing
separated starting in 2017, I’ve seen in my 25 years” of
but because no specific doing immigration and civil
separation records exist liberties work.q