Page 6 - aruba-today-20190112

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 12 January 2019

Huge migrant teen detention camp in Texas shutting down

By The Associated Press Other representatives ex-
TORNILLO, Texas (AP) — pressed concerns about
The nonprofit running what the expansion of other de-
once was the largest U.S. tention facilities for migrant
detention camp housing youth. U.S. Rep. Frederica
migrant teenagers said the Wilson, a Florida Democrat,
last children left the facility said she is worried about
Friday. increasing the number of
The tent city in Tornillo, Tex- beds in a facility south of
as, is shutting down, and Miami. Last month, the
all tents and equipment government announced it
will be removed from the would house more teens in
site by the end of January, the Homestead shelter, ex-
said Krista Piferrer, spokes- panding the total number
woman of BCFS Health and of beds from 1,350 to 2,350.
Human Services. “Instead of putting these
The U.S. Department of children with family and
Health and Human Ser- a public school, they are
vices, which oversees the warehousing these kids,”
care of migrant children, Wilson said.
did not provide further de- “For most of these children
tails. But a spokesman said This undated file photo provided by the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the that we have in deten-
last month that the cen- Department of Health and Human Services, shows the shelter used to house unaccompanied tion, we have sponsors that
ter had stopped receiving migrant children in Tornillo, Texas. have volunteered to take
new referrals. Associated Press them and to sort of act as
The Tornillo facility with beige tents and golf carts been moved out of Tornil- lems at Tornillo raised by a foster parents until their
capacity for 360 children that ferried staffers carry- lo,” said Oregon Sen. Jeff federal watchdog report asylum cases have been
opened in June in an iso- ing walkie-talkies. Teens Merkley, a Democrat who and an Associated Press in- heard.”
lated pocket of the Texas with identical haircuts and in December introduced vestigation. Neha Desai, immigration
desert. It expanded into a government-issued shirts the Shut Down Child Prison Some lawmakers said they director at the Oakland-
guarded detention camp and pants could be seen Camps Act. were pleased to hear based National Center
that held more than 2,700 walking single file from tent The tent city came under about the closure of the fa- for Youth Law, welcomed
largely Central American to tent, flanked by staff at fire in November after a cility but warned that other the closure Friday but said
teens in rows of canvas the front and back. report that the Trump ad- detention centers holding many more remain in fed-
tents. Politicians and advocates ministration had waived FBI migrant teens are still open. eral custody.
At that point, more people for immigrants and human fingerprint checks for the “It’s a weight off my shoul- “We cannot forget that
were detained in Tornillo’s rights protested at the site 2,100 staff working there ders to have children now there continue to be thou-
tent city than in all but one over the seven months it and allowed BCFS to staff with family members. If sands of children detained
of the nation’s 204 federal was open, with some even just one mental health clini- you’re trying to use kids to in facilities that fail to meet
prisons. Rising from the cot- taking up vigils. cian for every 100 children. fix a broken immigration the basic medical, mental
ton fields and dusty roads “It was chilling to see thou- Lawmakers called for strict- system, then you have a health and educational
not far from the dark fence sands of children locked er background checks, real problem,” said Rep. needs of children,” De-
marking the border be- up in a tent prison in the more mental health sup- Will Hurd, a Texas Republi- sai said. “These children
tween the U.S. and Mexi- desert. It’s great news that port and a public hearing can whose district includes should be home with their
co, the camp had rows of those children have finally to further investigate prob- the detention camp. families.”q

Faith-based shelter fights to keep out transgender women

By RACHEL D’ORO can operate according to judge to block the law be-
Associated Press its religious beliefs to pro- cause the commission’s in-
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) vide the things that it does vestigation wasn’t finished,
— A conservative Christian to the homeless population largely because the shelter
law firm that has pushed in Anchorage,” Kate An- wasn’t cooperating.
religious issues in multiple derson, an attorney for the The investigation is now on
states will urge a U.S. judge Scottsdale, Arizona-based hold.
on Friday to block Alaska’s Alliance Defending Free- The plaintiffs maintain the
largest city from requiring a dom said before the court person identified only as
faith-based women’s shel- hearing. “Jessie Doe” showed up
ter to accept transgender The shelter operators filed inebriated after hours in
women. a federal lawsuit against January 2018 and was not
Alliance Defending Free- the city and its Equal Rights turned away because of
dom has sued the city of Commission in August, gender.
Anchorage to stop it from months after a transgender The shelter officials even
applying a gender iden- This Nov. 1, 2018, file photo shows the Hope Center women’s woman complained to the paid for a taxi to take her
tity law to the Hope Center shelter in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. commission that she was to a hospital for treatment
shelter, which denied entry Associated Press denied housing at the shel- of a forehead wound from
to a transgender woman. the local law and that stake. ter. fighting at another shelter,
The lawsuit says homeless constitutional principles of “The case is really about The city says it was prema- according to alliance at-
shelters are exempt from freedom of religion are at whether the Hope Center ture for the shelter to ask a torneys. q