Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 30 November 2018

Lawmakers call for detention camp reforms

By MARTHA MENDOZA without delay," said Rep.
GARANCE BURKE Jerrold Nadler, D-New York,
Associated Press in a letter to Health and
Lawmakers Thursday Human Services Secretary
called for stricter back- Alex Azar. It was co-signed
ground checks, more men- by other Democratic House
tal health support and a members. They asked for a
public hearing to further briefing before Dec. 11 and
investigate problems at a a hearing in the new Con-
massive detention camp gress early next year.
for migrant teens raised by "The problems we are see-
a federal watchdog report ing in Tornillo are as shame-
and an Associated Press ful as they were in June and
investigation earlier this symptoms of a much larger
week. problem that we've spent
More than 2,300 teens are years ignoring - a broken
being held at the remote immigration system," said
tent city in Tornillo, Texas, Rep. Will Hurd, D-Texas,
which opened in June as whose district includes the
a temporary, emergency detention camp. "Similar
shelter but now appears to building a wall from sea
to be becoming more per- In this Nov. 15, 2018 photo provided by Ivan Pierre Aguirre, migrant teens are led in a line inside to shining sea, detaining
manent, with ongoing con- the Tornillo detention camp holding more than 2,300 migrant teens in Tornillo, Texas. kids in Tornillo is the most
struction at costs that can Associated Press expensive and least effec-
reach $1,200 per child per fice of Inspector General not put its 2,100 staffers mental health clinician for tive policy approach that
day, the AP reported Tues- on Tuesday raised con- through FBI background every 100 children. fails to address root causes
day. cerns that the private con- checks, and that they're "These issues must be ad- of migration flows or make
The Department of Health tractor running Tornillo has allowed to have just one dressed and remedied anyone safer."q
and Human Service's Of-

Minnesota man awarded $17M in

decades-old molestation case

Associated Press In 2016, Heinrich admit- ported that Stearns County
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A ted to sexually assaulting Judge Andrew Pearson
Minnesota man who was Scheierl and to abducting, awarded Scheierl damag-
molested decades ago molesting and killing Jacob es on Thursday.
by the man who went on as part of a plea deal in a "How does this court put
to abduct, sexually assault federal child pornography a value on the diminished
and kill Jacob Wetterling case. As part of the deal, quality of life that Mr. Schei-
was awarded more than Heinrich led authorities to erl lived as a result of Mr.
$17 million in damages on Jacob's remains, ending Heinrich's act?" Pearson
Thursday.Jared Scheierl a nearly three-decade wrote. "It's been said that
was 12 when he was mo- search for the boy, but he a human life is worth more
lested by Danny Heinrich did not face charges in Ja- than all the treasures of
in 1989 in Cold Spring. The cob's death. the world."Heinrich is serv-
In this Aug. 28, 2009, file photo, Patty and Jerry Wetterling attack happened months It was also too late to pros- ing a 20-year federal prison
show a photo of their son Jacob Wetterling, who was before Jacob, 11, was ab- ecute Heinrich for Scheierl's sentence and it's unlikely
abducted in October 1989 in St. Joseph, Minn and was still
missing, in Minneapolis. ducted from a rural road attack, but Scheierl sued he'll be able to pay the
Associated Press near his home in St. Joseph. him. The Star Tribune re- damages.q