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sexual abuse is running rampant in migrant camps

March 1, 2019
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If you haven’t been paying attention to immigration lately, let’s just jump right into it. It’s been a shit show. Migrants of all ages are facing violence and prosecution at higher rates than previously reported. There’s a lot of shit going down.

The US is sending engendered immigrant populations back to their home countries or they’re leaving them in Mexico to wait out the asylum period. Leaving many susceptible to the danger they were fleeing.

And let’s never — never — forget about the children. We’re all aware of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy which has led to thousands of immigrant children being separated from their families. But it gets worse. The Department of Justice has reportedly received more than 4,500 complaints of sexual abuse against detained migrant children during 2014-2018, with an additional 1,303 complaints of sexual abuse by unaccompanied minors during that same time. The congressmen who released the figures, Ted Deutch, also claims that at least 154 of those claims are against facility staff members. “These documents demonstrate over the past three years there have been 154 staff-on-unaccompanied-minor — let me repeat that, staff-on-unaccompanied-minor — allegations of sexual assault,” Congressman Deutch said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

“This works out, on average, to one sexual assault by HHS staff on an unaccompanied minor, per week,” Mr. Deutch says.

In addition to the rampant sexual abuse, the Trump administration is looking for creative ways to deal with migrant families. According to the head of Mexico’s immigration agency, the US has sent 112 Central American migrants from the States, including 25 children, back into the country. All part of Trump’s so-called “remain in Mexico” program negotiated with Mexico where the country will let asylum applicants stay in Mexico during the months, maybe even years, that it might take to resolve their status situation. Pray these migrants don’t fall victim to cartels or other violence in the meantime. Ugh.

These situations for migrant families are horrible and undeniable. Give voice to the most in need of championing by contacting your Representatives about this issue.

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