Investigate allegations; kids’ safety top priority
Gov. Greg Abbott leveled serious and explosive allegations Wednesday evening of child abuse and poor conditions at a makeshift shelter for unaccompanied minors at Freeman Coliseum. These allegations must be investigated, but Abbott also has a duty to provide more detail given their seriousness and the intense politicization around all things immigration.
In a statement, Abbott said he has “directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to immediately investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect” inside the facility. He also said children testing positive for the coronavirus were not separated from the other kids.
It’s unclear the source of these allegations. In a hastily called news conference Wednesday outside Freeman Coliseum, Abbott said separate tips were shared that morning with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has called for the facility to be shut down. While it’s hard to see how the facility can continue to operate, we also need to know more about what the investigation reveals. The bottom line is the welfare of these children are the highest priority, a point emphasized by Mayor Ron Nirenberg. These disturbing reports run counter to descriptions from local officials who have toured the facility in recent days.
For example, Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-flores has been a volunteer presence there and has said many of the children she has spoken with have been grateful for the shelter.