Elected officials troubled by allegations
Allegations of abuse and overcrowding from children and youths detained by Customs and Border Protection officers at the Yuma Border Patrol Station had congressional members agreeing at least some of the claims need to be investigated.
Also, the leader of Yuma’s Salvation Army-run shelter for migrant families released from CBP custody said he had not heard of similar conditions being described by those migrants.
Capt. Jeff Breazeale said, “Seeing the news this morning is the first time I have heard anything like this. We have not had any families tell me anything like this.”
A report from NBC News said it obtained nearly 30 “significant incident reports” taken by caseworkers for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who had interviewed children under 18 detained as “unaccompanied alien children” by the Yuma Border Patrol Sector.
These children are gen
erally housed separately from families with children. Most migrants in Yuma Sector custody had been detained at one of its three stations until last month, when a massive “soft-sided,” climate controlled facility was opened next to the sector headquarters at 4035 S. Avenue A, with room for 500.
The reports included one allegation of sexual abuse, made by a 15-yearold girl who said she was groped by a male officer during what started out as a routine search, in front of other migrants and officers.
Other children and teens interviewed said they were unable to lie down to sleep due to overcrowding or had to sleep outside, had no access to showers, and food would sometimes be thrown at them by those supervising them.
A 16-year-old boy said after one group of children began to protest the poor conditions, their sleeping mats were taken away. All of those interviewed said they were kept at Border Patrol facilities longer than the three-day maximum allowed by law.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, reacted to the report with a Wednesday morning statement, which said in part: “The situations described by these children are unconscionable and should shake every American to their core.”
It continued, “Sexual abuse, retaliation, and any form of child abuse should never be common-place, yet the culture of corruption and systemic abuse within all facilities holding asylum-seeking children and their families has made this a disgusting reality.
“The time has long since passed for the Trump Administration to end their cruel immigration policies, stop separating families, and utilize alternatives to detention that will remove children from these harmful facilities,” he said.
Grijalva’s district includes all of Yuma County’s border with Mexico.
Rep. Paul Gosar, RPrescott, represents northern and eastern Yuma County in Arizona’s 4th Congressional District. In a statement sent to the Yuma Sun Wednesday by his chief of staff Paul Van Flein, he said, “If the reports of a sexual assault are true, we are told by DHS that anyone involved in that would be terminated and prosecuted. The CBP denies mistreating any illegal immigrants in their facilities. There is no corroborating proof, no witnesses, no photos or video evidence, that remotely substantiates allegations of bad food, retaliation or other allegations.”
He added, “The bottom line is this: if the detention facility is not up to an illegal alien’s desire for luxury accommodations, then don’t come here illegally and break our laws. The Federal Government is not running a 5 Star Resort for criminals and illegal aliens. Illegal aliens should not be coddled with luxuries while real Americans work to pay for this. Stay in your own country if you don’t like our food, beds and people.”
The GovTrack.us website ranks Gosar as the most ideologically conservative member of the House of Representatives, while Grijalva is almost as far over on the liberal end.
The offices of Arizona’s two senators also said to the Sun they were concerned about the news reports.
“Of course these allegations should be investigated by the appropriate authorities,” Republican Sen. Martha McSally said. “Border Patrol Agents have one of the hardest jobs in America right now, as they are being asked to protect our borders, while also being asked to handle the humanitarian crisis on the border. If there are bad actors within their ranks, we need to address it immediately.”
A spokeswoman for Sinema said, “Kyrsten is disturbed by the allegations and will be speaking to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to get answers.”
The report of the conditions at the Yuma Border Patrol station followed those in recent weeks of similar overcrowding at locations in Texas, and one with almost no adult supervision for the kids, from the Inspector General’s Office for the Department of Homeland Security.
Meanwhile, CBP is reporting the total number of people detained for crossing the border illegally along the Mexican border dropped to 104,344 in June, after peaking at 144,278 in May.
Last month’s total was just above that for March, which was the first month of 2019 that it went over 100,000, as the number of Central American migrants fleeing violence and poverty at home soared.
Breazeale said there were only 15 people at the Yuma migrant shelter on Wednesday, after peaking at about 330 in May.
A New York Times article published Wednesday said occupancy is way down at similar shelters in San Diego and other border cities, and a CPB official said during a press call that 200 children are currently being held at Border Patrol facilities, versus 2,700 in May.