Migrant kids in overcrowded Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from U.S. agents
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON — The poor treatment of migrant children at the hands of U.S. border agents in recent months extends beyond Texas to include allegations of sexual assault and retaliation for protests, according to dozens of accounts by children held in Arizona collected by government case managers and obtained by NBC News.
A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy held in Yuma, Arizona, said he and others in his cell complained about the taste of the water and food they were given. The Customs and Border Protection agents took the mats out of their cell in retaliation, forcing them to sleep on hard concrete .
A 15-year-old girl from Honduras described a large, bearded officer putting his hands inside her bra, pulling down her underwear and groping her as part of what was meant to be a routine pat down in front of other immigrants and officers.
The girl said "she felt embarrassed as the officer was speaking in English to other officers and laughing" during the entire process, according to a report of her account.
A 17-year-old boy from Honduras said officers would scold detained children when they would get close to a window, and would sometimes call them "puto," an offensive term in Spanish, while they were giving orders.
Earlier reports from investigators for the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General from the El Paso and Rio Grande Valley sectors in Texas detailed horrific conditions for children and other migrants held in overcrowded border stations where they were not given showers, a clean change of clothes or space to sleep. The reports from the Yuma CBP sector describe similar unsanitary and crowded conditions but go further by alleging abuse and other misconduct by CBP officers.
President Trump has pushed back against reports of poor conditions for children, and Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of DHS, which oversees CBP, has said the reports are "unsubstantiated."
In a statement about the Yuma allegations, a CBP spokesperson said, "U.S. Customs and Border Protection treats those in our custody with dignity and respect and provides multiple avenues to report any allegations of misconduct. ... The allegations do not align with common practice at our facilities and will be fully investigated. It’s important to note that the allegation of sexual assault is already under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General."
Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Wednesday that the allegations are under investigation and will face multiple reviews.
"Anyone involved in sexual assault or physical harassment like that I would of course expect to be fired not merely disciplined," he said on MSNBC.
DHS had been sounding the alarm on overcrowding in border facilities for months, resulting in a $4.5 billion emergency funding bill recently passed by Congress. In Yuma, a soft-sided tent facility was opened at the end of June to accommodate overcrowding at the border station.
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I wonder if this has anything to do with what is happening this Saturday at Doral and, if Trump is "recruiting" for Epstein's business.
Cute !
Based on the article, Nancy and Chucky should get off their podiums and get their "Clan" to do something about the Border Crises …. the one that NEVER HAPPENED ?
They did pass an emergency spending bill; but it is not nearly enough- and they know it. That was after Pelosi and the House Dems tried to delay it until after the 4th of July recess. They wanted to reduce the amount on the Senate bill; and put a whole bunch of strings/riders on it. McConnell shut that notion down completely.
There is no short term fix for this; at least none the Dems are willing to allow. This whole thing is going to get far worse.
They do know it, but:
"Never let a crises go to waste", as Rahm always told the Democrats.
Now the Taliban 3 are a totally different story (Cortez, Omar and Tlaib). They NEED this crises to get bigger, so they wouldn't even vote for those crumbs.
The money Nancy and, Chuck voted for is suppose to only be used at the border stations, to provide for those kids so, that has nothing to do with some pervert like your "Fearless Leader" pawing some child he is suppose to be protecting.
Tell that to Trump, he has tried to use HIS crisis at the border to finance HIS wall, wasn't Mexico suppose to pay for that? Besides, if you had really read the article and, UNDERSTOOD it you would know that it is about a sleazy border patrol agent molesting a child.
You don't pay attention much. The "Left" used that and to say there was no border crises for a year or two.
Guess what ….. There is and WAS a crises on the border. Now the Left is trying to put the problem on Trump, when they ….the left....denied it up until they might profit from it for an election reason.
Shoulda been done 2 years ago. Don't ya remember ? There NEVER was a crises at the border. Nancy and Chucky said so. It was all a "Ploy" to garner votes for Trump.
ooooopsssss…. The "Never" happened thingy is now out of control....thanks to Chucky, Nancy, the Dems in the House, and the Lefts beloved Taliban 4.
Gods, you have got this so backwards, I don't even know why I try anymore with you.
Do tell !
I await with baited breath.
You should try harder to remember things, aren't Republicans suppose to be like elephants and, have good memory's or, is that just another lie they have told? Trump manufactured the lie about "caravans" coming to our country and, attempted to close the border starting a panic among refugees coming here, then his toady Sessions closed the border and, started the zero tolerance crap along with family separation, (and, don't try to say Obama started it because you would be lying).
Deflection.
Deflection.
Tell me, what does any of this have to do with a pervert who is a border patrol agent molesting a young girl?
TRUMP created the current crisis at the border with his zero tolerance crap and, stealing kids away from their parents at the border, that is why we have perverts working as border patrol agents molesting young girls. Try to keep up.
One doesn't run to a country that has ZERO tolerance for "Illegal".
One runs to a country when they know more are fighting to let them "IN".
OMG.....you really think the way you do ?
The Fucking News was showing Caravans coming to the border on TV. They were even in Mexico interviewing the people in those caravans.
Holy Fucking Shit !
Do you own a TV or buy a newspaper now and again ?
This country was founded on immigration so, the question is, are you only for white folks immigrating to the U.S. or, are you for anyone who needs to escape a dictator coming to the U.S.?
So, when you are in heavy traffic on the freeway does that mean you are part of a caravan? When people are held up at a border crossing for days and, then let through they have a tendency to stay bunched together, especially if they are going to the same damn place.
The media paid a lot of attention to those "caravans" marching along Mexican highways if you would care to look it up. No one is to blame for the hold up at the border except the migrants themselves, responding to Democrat lies and promises which won't be kept.
If you had a TV and/or bought a newspaper now and again, you'd have noticed that the "Caravan" hadn't even reached the border yet when this was going on.
"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
Winston Churchill
Try using the word "Legal" if …..IF …. you can !
I hear that using the word "Legal", can cause diarrhea and vomiting at times (medical side effects), if one doesn't believe one doing things "Legally" is a good thing !
No Galen, I strongly disagree with you on that.
This country was founded on THEFT, GREED and desire for POWER by a dominant society who didn't like the way they were treated in their own country.
Actually, what they are responding to is the Trump Administrations policies on immigration. Trump himself has told us many times his feelings on immigration, things like, "Why do we have to accept people from Shithole country's?" and, "Why can't we get more people from country's like Norway"? and, today it was revealed that Trump tweeted on Sunday, "Why don't those four Dems in Congress RETURN to their home country's?"
All those migrants are doing is trying to get in before Trump totally shuts down the border as he said he was going to do.
You know, I don't remember, until Ellis Island was opened, there being any ports of entry that cared whether you crossed or, not, even and, especially along the Rio Grande. In fact the Mexican border at one time was all the way up into Colorado at one point in our history and, no one from either side cared if you crossed that border.
Yeah, that's why Trump has to wear depends.
True for the most part, the Native Americans sure as hell didn't want us folks here, after we showed our true colors, (and, by we and, our I'm talking about my ancestors, not yours), there were a lot of people like me that just wanted to live and, let live but, as you said, most of those in power wanted to grab everything they could.
Do you remember Obama advertising for Central American young people to come to the border, and the huge amount of them that showed up. Some were even flown in. And then some California border towns rebelled because they didn't have the space or facilities to handle the crowd and raised protests. So these young migrants were given cursory physical exams and signed a paper promising to return for proper processing and then released....never to return?? This is recent history and easily researched.
At any rate, the run on the border started before Trump arrived, and the Democrats have done nothing to discourage it, and have refused to provide funding for better facilities and more staff...until just a few days ago. The Dems own this mess...lock, stock, and barrel.
Then provide a link.