By Paul J. Weber and Nomaan Merchant - AP
AUSTIN, Texas.
- Texas child welfare officials said Wednesday they received three reports of abuse and neglect at a San Antonio, Texas,
shelter
that
houses more than 1,600 immigrant teens who crossed the southern border
.
It is the first time that state officials have announced that they are investigating allegations of this type at one of the emergency facilities that the United States government has established in Texas amid a sharp increase in young people crossing the border alone.
["We had to separate the family," admits a deported migrant who sent his children to the US alone]
A county official who also volunteers at the San Antonio shelter, the Freeman Coliseum, said the nature of the allegations is inconsistent with what he has seen on multiple visits to the facility.
Child welfare officials did not release details about who made the allegations
, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he understood they came from someone who had been inside the facility.
One of the allegations includes sexual abuse, but no further details were provided.
They also reported understaffing, lack of food for children and the failure to separate those who got COVID-19, Abbott said at a press conference he quickly organized outside the facility Wednesday night.
For weeks, Abbott has criticized the Biden Administration for its management of the migratory flow on the country's southern border.
“This facility should be shut down immediately.
Children must be moved to safer and more staffed places, "said Abbott.
[They find possible evidence of more family separations during the Trump Administration]
Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, who has been inside the facility as an elected official and volunteer, said teens are offered three meals and two drinks a day and anyone who tests positive of COVID-19 is placed in a separate area away from other children
Clay-Flores toured the facility with Abbott after their press conference and claimed the governor asked staff questions and asked questions about coronavirus testing protocols.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Republican, speaks at a press conference in Dallas, Wednesday, March 17, 2021.AP Photo / LM Otero
"I wish the governor had done his tour before the press conference, when he politicized children," said Clay-Flores, a Democrat-elect.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that they did not comment on specific cases, but that
"they have a zero tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior
.
"
[What about the 10-year-old boy found in the middle of the desert by the Border Patrol?]
The allegations were received by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Spokesman Patrick Crimmins said he did not immediately know if the state had received other reports of abuse or neglect at temporary shelters for migrant youth in Texas.
HHS rushed to open large spaces to house migrant children throughout the Southwest amid a sharp increase in unaccompanied youth crossing the southern border.
What does the suspension of the expedited removal process mean?
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April 7, 202102: 04
The agency's lack of capacity to deal with the flow of immigration has caused children to sometimes wait for weeks in overcrowded and inadequate Border Patrol facilities.
In March and April alone, HHS added more than 17,000 beds in convention centers, camps for oilfield workers and military bases, more than double the capacity of its old system of permanent facilities that took years to open.
["They say they are going to come and kill us": the violence of the Mexican cartels leads to forced displacement]
Last month, the government had stopped taking immigrant teens to a site in Midland when faced with questions about the safety of temporary shelters.
Midland County District Attorney Laura Nodolf stated Wednesday that
"they have faced allegations that have led to an ongoing criminal investigation
,
"
but did not provide further details.
The allegations were also reported to federal officials, according to the prosecutor.
To staff the temporary shelters, HHS waived regulations that normally apply to its permanent facilities, including the omission of FBI fingerprint background checks for all caregivers.
The agency has hired a mix of contractors and nonprofits to fill the shelter staff, with job openings in several cities looking for people to start work right away.
There is no information to suggest that any staff member is accused of assaulting a child.