2 days ago
Representative Maxine Dexter has a batch of questions. Why were each of nan pregnant, unaccompanied minors successful nan US rounded up and sent to San Benito, a mini municipality connected nan Texas separator pinch Mexico? Are they fixed due aesculapian care, fixed their high-risk conditions and Texas’s abortion ban? And astir importantly: wherever are nan girls – and their infants – now?
Dexter, a Democratic congresswoman from Oregon and a erstwhile captious attraction expert – 1 of nan fewer doctors now serving successful Congress – elaborate these questions successful an 8 May letter to exile and wellness officials aft visiting nan San Benito installation and, she said, being blocked from speaking pinch immoderate of nan children. She still hasn’t gotten answers.
In nan US, nan curen of migration detainees has raised interest complete authorities violations, overcrowding and a deficiency of aesculapian attraction – situations that are not transparent moreover to members of Congress. Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, says he was sprayed pinch capsicum balls connected Monday extracurricular nan US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Delaney Hall facility, wherever detainees person spent days connected a hunger onslaught complete mediocre conditions. Health inspectors pinch nan authorities of New Jersey were denied afloat entree to nan installation connected Thursday, Mikie Sherrill, nan state’s governor, said.
Detainees crossed nan US person said they don’t person safe, nutritious nutrient aliases capable aesculapian care, while outbreaks of infectious diseases person plagued facilities, which are often converted warehouses, storefronts aliases churches that were ne'er meant to location group and often deficiency ventilation.
Detention centers person grappled pinch “one gross contagion aft another”, Nancy Zanello, an ICE adjunct section agency head successful New York, wrote successful a 2025 email. One detainee was reportedly held successful nan overcrowded installation for six days, “and we person a feline pinch monkeypox”, Zanello wrote successful a matter message, referring to mpox.
‘They look detention without support’
Unaccompanied minors, who are kept done nan Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), are “uniquely vulnerable”, Rosalind Rogers, a scientist specializing successful nan intelligence wellness of immigrants and refugees, said astatine a caller event pinch Duke University connected nan wellness vulnerabilities of children and families successful migration facilities. “They look detention without nan support, nurturing, and protection of a caregiver.”
For nan unaccompanied children astatine nan San Benito facility, location is nan added accent and disorder of being pregnant and alone. The installation has housed pregnant children arsenic young arsenic 13; astir half of nan pregnancies are nan consequence of rape.
Following reporting from nan Guardian and others, Dexter notified nan installation successful San Benito that she would sojourn successful precocious April.
When she arrived, she was blocked from speaking pinch aliases moreover seeing immoderate children passim her full visit, she said.
Local migration attorneys arranged interviews pinch 2 girls being held astatine nan facility, but connected nan greeting Dexter was group to visit, “apparently those girls were spoken to harshly by ORR staff, and they were frightened to talk to maine aft that,” she said.
There are besides questions astir really galore children are being held astatine nan facility. One of nan attorneys receiving a regular census said location were 11 children that day, but officials told Dexter location were only 7 children. When Joaquin Castro, a Democratic Texas congressman, visited a fewer weeks before, location were 17.
“Where person each of these kids gone? Because location utilized to beryllium many, galore more,” Dexter asked.
The unit responded “it’s lawsuit by case” and offered nary different details, Dexter said, adding: “Whether they’re successful foster care, aliases successful different facilities, aliases they’ve been returned to different countries, we don’t know.” Dexter says she kept asking, trying caller ways to find answers. A typical from ORR’s Washington agency was there, but she didn’t reply nan questions, Dexter said. “Our acquisition has been, we’ll support asking, and nary 1 answers … They had a batch of girls successful custody. Where did they each go?”
The ORR lawsuit guidance strategy tin “definitively answer” wherever each of nan unaccompanied children astatine nan San Benito tract went, said Jonathan White, a erstwhile apical charismatic moving pinch children’s programs successful nan ORR nether nan Obama and Trump administrations.
The astir apt reply is that nan girls were moved backmost to their countries of root aliases a 3rd country, White said. That would mean their infants, who are US citizens, are being deported, he added: “I fishy that successful effect successful this 1 constrictive lawsuit nan president’s executive bid connected birthright citizenship is already being successful immoderate ways enforced.”
Prior to this administration, departures for illustration these “almost ne'er happened” because nan children had to formally petition an migration tribunal judge, he said. When Dexter visited nan Harlingen migration court, much than half nan children, each from ORR facilities, had nary ineligible representation.
Dexter and others person expressed concerns astir whether nan children are receiving due aesculapian care.
“These are high-risk pregnancies, by definition, simply by nan property of nan girls,” Dexter said. It’s not clear what happens if gestation aliases commencement complications occur. “If they person an ectopic pregnancy, if they person a partial nonaccomplishment of pregnancy, will they get nan healthcare they request to prevention their lives?”
‘What are they hiding?’
The Trump management antecedently tried to artifact unaccompanied minors from accessing abortion, and White believes officials moved nan girls to Texas because of its restrictions connected abortion. Texas rule has besides constricted entree to due healthcare successful general, Dexter said.
“There is simply a deficiency of OB-GYNs successful nan organization successful nary mini portion because of nan changes to these laws astir reproductive healthcare,” Dexter said. “I’m very concerned astir whether location is capable high-risk adjacent access, particularly pinch these astir marginalized children who don’t person nan advocates and don’t person authorities successful nan aforesaid measurement that others do.”
Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for nan US Department of Health and Human Services, said: “Pregnant girls person entree to gynecologists and maternal-fetal medicine specialists who supply attraction for high-risk teen pregnancies, ensuring that children pinch analyzable aesculapian needs tin person due information and curen erstwhile necessary.”
In 2024, detentions successful nan San Benito installation were reportedly halted because of insufficient entree to healthcare.
“We talked astir that and I asked what had changed, and they conscionable said they went from 15 days aliases much betwixt being capable to get an assignment to 5 days. So we cognize that it was difficult successful nan past to get due healthcare,” Dexter said. “They did not person glucometers, they didn’t person Dopplers. They didn’t person basal things that pregnant group often have, particularly high-risk pregnancies.”
There are nary lactation specialists to thief pinch breastfeeding, which tin beryllium challenging moreover for adults. “They’re sent backmost to class, it sounds like, arsenic early arsenic 2 weeks aft giving birth,” Dexter said.
Staff told her nan children person aesculapian meals to meet their nutritional needs, but migration attorneys opportunity that’s not nan case.
“What we person heard from different folks who straight activity pinch group who’ve been successful this detention facility, and what we heard from nan group giving nan tour, was very different,” Dexter said. “The truth that location appears to person been immoderate coercion aliases intimidation from talking pinch maine conscionable makes you wonder: ‘What are they hiding? Why do they not want transparency and accountability for what’s going on?’”
Not only are these questions going unanswered, but location is besides nary state-level accountability aft Greg Abbott, Texas’s governor, rescinded nan oversight from nan authorities complete accommodation for illustration these, she said. “ORR is overseeing ORR, which is simply a look for disaster.”
