US to probe alleged abuse of migrant children
US AUTHORITIES said on Wednesday t hey are investigating a llegations of abuse of migrant children by border a gent s, i nclud i ng t he g ropi ng of a Honduran teenage girl, at a facilit y ne a r t he s out her n border w it h Mexico.
The a l legat ions were repor ted by NBC News, which cited official reports of t he incidents – including t he children’s accounts – at a Customs and Border Protect ion faci lit y in Yuma, A r i zona, where t he mig ra nts were held.
One incident involved a 15-year-old girl from Honduras, who a lleged that a border agent put his hand inside her bra, then pulled down her under wear a nd g roped her i n f ront of ot her migra nts a nd of f icia ls during what NBC News said should have been a routine pat-down.
The girl said in her account that “she felt embarrassed as the officer was speaking in English to other officers and laughing,” NBC reported.
The US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP), which has faced severe criticism over its treatment of detained migrants, said it takes “all allegations seriously and investigate all formal complaints.”
CBP “t reats t hose i n our custody with dignity and respect and provides multiple avenues to report any allegat ions of misconduct,” a spokesman for t he agency said in a statement.
“The allegations do not align with common practice at our facilities and will be fully investigated.”
The spokesman added that the sexual assault allegation is already being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
The reports obtained by NBC News also included an account by a 16-yearold boy from Guatemala who said that after he and other detainees complained about the taste of the water and food, agents took away sleeping mats and forced them to sleep on the hard floor in retaliation.
Another teenager’s account involved border agent s scold i ng det a i nees whenever window.
There has been a public outcry in recent months over the conditions at detention facilities where migrants are held, and there is fierce debate in Congress on how to address the crisis.
Border officials, who have been defended by US President Donald Trump, say they are overwhelmed by the surging numbers of refugees crossing the southern US border.
The abuse allegations come a week after CBP announced that it had launched an investigation into a secret Facebook group for current and former agents that is filled with racist memes and posts mocking migrants. t he y c a me c los e to a