Video Shows Inside of Unaccompanied Children Immigration Shelter in Texas
Article publisher:
Epoch Times
Article date:
13 October 2018
Article category:
National News
Medium
Article Body:
Newly released video footage shows the inside of a federal immigration shelter in Texas that houses unaccompanied children who reach the United States.
The footage, released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), shows the Tornillo shelter.
... The footage shows children playing soccer and eating, and shows the living facilities, which are sturdy tents that resemble those used by the military....
...The shelter houses 1,500 children as of Oct. 12, HHS said in a press release (pdf). Most of those come from Guatemala. Homes have been identified for 826 of the children and background checks are underway....
Children stay in Tornillo on average for 25 days, versus an average of 59 days across all shelters; most of them are released to family members to await immigration hearings. ...
The focus came after President Barack Obama’s administration released children more freely, leading to smuggling cases. Even now, 53 percent of the minors don’t show up for court hearings and federal agencies, including HHS, have struggled with what’s been described as a proxy foster care system....
About 80 percent of the children at the Tornillo shelter are male. All the children are ages 13 to 17....
The Tornillo shelter has 3,800 beds in total, with 1,400 currently being on reserve status. That’s an expansion to nearly 10 times its original size since when it opened in June, officials told Reuters....
The Law
Unaccompanied children who are apprehended while or after crossing into the United States and do not have a parent or legal guardian in the United States must receive care.
The HHS does not play a role in the apprehension of the children. Other agencies transfer the children to the shelters.