A study released by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) found that more than 43,000 undocumented, unaccompanied children have been mistreated while in custody and denied access to representation by Customs and Border Protection (Border Patrol) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and then transported home unsafely.

According to the study, A Child Alone and Without Papers, inadequate policies lead to the maltreatment, including children going without water at US Border Patrol stations, being handcuffed, having their requests for medical attention ignored, and getting struck and knocked down by agents.

The report found the following:

In clear violation of international and U.S. child welfare standards, our interviews with the Mexican and Honduran children uncovered troubling claims of child abuse and maltreatment by U.S. Border Patrol officers, including:
• Inattention to repeated requests for medical attention;
• No access to water while in the border patrol station;
• Having to sleep on the floor without a blanket in a heavily air conditioned cell;
• Not being given any or enough food;
• Not being allowed to contact family;
• Being struck and knocked down by agents;
• Being handcuffed; and
• Being transported “like dogs,” in kennel like compartments.

This is very interesting. These findings by CPPP are similar to the findings I found after I had the opportunity to meet with the families who were affected by the Houston ICE raid.

While it is important to criticize the consequences of the immigration raids, what has flown under the radar is the mistreatment undocumented, unaccompanied children. The hard question we must seriously ask ourselves is, “What drives a person from one society to hate another person from another society to the degree that they want to segregate them, even demoralize them?”

As I said before, dehumanization is the central process that changes a normal person into someone indifferent. The process clouds the mind of one’s thinking and foster the perception that “other” people are less than human. What these children encounter at the hands of the Department of Homeland Security is no different from the undocumented immigrants locked up in our detention centers. CPPP also found:

• One boy described being locked in bathroom at a border patrol substation for hours until
transferred;
• Several children mentioned being laughed at by the Border Patrol who apprehended them;
• One girl said she was threatened at gun point by Border Patrol; and
• Of the six participants who reported being handcuffed only one described the experience as
maltreatment.

Once Barack Obama takes office, we must demand he take action on this important matter and investigate the problem of mistreatment and abuse at the hands of the Department of Homeland Security and all the immigration services that fall under this Department. According to the report, “Non-neighboring unaccompanied children are not supposed to be detained … for more than 72 hours” and in some cases, “some children were detained up to 14 days.”

While people are busily speculating who will be appointed to what Cabinet position, I strongly agree with Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista that we must seriously consider who should be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As she points out, the position not as sexy as Secretary of State, this person will be responsible in carrying out this county’s immigration policy.

Whoever President-elect Obama decides to pick as the next Homeland Security Secretary, it is vital this person seriously look into the past investigations of abuse conducted by this Department. The ‘protect our border’ and ‘war on terror’ attitude, which too long pervaded how Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff, ICE, and Border Patrol operate, must correctly be met swiftly and be remade “into an agency that is effective, respected and respectful” as Marisa suggested.

I am not naive and realize that no system will be perfect, but it is important that we begin to wake up to the reality to the inhumane conditions many undocumented immigrants are confronted today – the abuse of children at the hands of Border Patrol and ICE is not an isolated incident – is a widespread scourge which creates lasting victims, scarred for their lifetimes.

The current US policy of removing unaccompanied children from the United States fail to provide these children with basic rights. It is understandable that most of us find it hard to believe all of this happening within our borders. One reason, oftentimes these reports tend to be buried withing our local paper or briefly mentioned – if ever – in the evening news. However, now that we are aware of this problem, it is time to take this recognition and translate it into decisive action without delay.

We should do so not just because we recognize the impact of such crimes on the success of DHS’ mission, but because it is our moral and ethical responsibility to do as much as possible to prevent the abuse of children wherever it may exist.

(h/t to Raw Story and Houston Chronicle)

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Tags: Border Patrol, center for public policy priorities, child abuse and maltreatment, cppp, immigration and customs enforcement, immigration raids |  Print This Post |
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