The migrant crisis has gotten worse over the past few months, with hundreds of thousands of immigrants swarming the southern border in an attempt to gain entry into the United States.
Of particular note is the increasing number of unaccompanied minors being taken into the system after making the journey to the southern border. While Biden has faced criticism for using the same facilities used under the Trump administration, little attention has been paid to the plight of the minors being held in detention centers. Do these kids not matter to the majority of left-leaning media outlets of America now that Trump is out of the way?
Minors Being Held in Dismal Conditions
A recent BBC News report revealed that at Fort Bliss, a detention center in El Paso, Texas, migrant children have been living in “alarming conditions” and are being subjected to disease, subpar food, and even sexual abuse. Over 2,000 teenagers are being held at this center, waiting to be reunited with relatives in the U.S.
“Findings from the BBC’s investigation include allegations of sexual abuse, Covid and lice outbreaks, a child waiting hours for medical attention, a lack of clean clothes and hungry children being served undercooked meat,” according to the report.
Members of the staff told BBC that the food situation, in particular, was an issue when it came to health-related problems. A 15-year-old being held at Fort Bliss said he was fed undercooked meat. “Sometimes the chicken had blood, the meat very red. We couldn’t stand our hunger and we ate it, but we got sick from it,” he explained.
In addition to the food issues, COVID-19 seems to be raging through the center. One employee told BBC that “hundreds of children have tested positive for Covid.”
“Lice has been rampant,” one of the employees stated on condition of anonymity. “And one of the major shortages has been lice kits.”
Members of the staff stated that a tent housing about 800 girls was locked down due to lice.
The report also noted the substandard living conditions to which these children are being subjected. “Photos and video smuggled out of the facility by staff and given to the BBC, show rows of flimsy bunks, set inches from each other, extending in long lines through the vast tents,” BBC News observed.
CBS News noted that some children have tried to escape Fort Bliss due to the substandard conditions:
“On May 4, five children unsuccessfully tried to run away from Fort Bliss by jumping a fence near the recreation area. After being transferred to another facility with stricter security protocols, one of the boys said he tried to escape from Fort Bliss because it was too crowded, hot and the food was not good, according to a report reviewed by CBS News.”
Sexual Abuse
Even more disturbing are the reports of sexual abuse that some staff members have inflicted on the children. In a secret recording, an employee expressed her concerns. “We have already caught staff with minors inappropriately,” she said.
Another staffer told BBC News that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had a conversation with staff about an instance of rape.
“DHS mentioned there was a rape – they are giving the girls pregnancy tests,” the employee said. “And I heard the other night that another contractor was caught in a boys’ tent, you know, doing things with him.”
Self-Harm and Suicide
CBS News indicated that a distressing number of migrant children were engaging in self-harm and that there were concerns that some would commit suicide. The report noted that “some children held at the large tent complex at the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base have required one-on-one supervision 24 hours a day to ensure they don’t hurt themselves” and that some “have refused to eat or spend most of their days sleeping on cots.”
Employees stated that they saw some of the children with cut marks on their wrists and arms.
The report continued:
“Federal officials became so concerned about migrant teens harming themselves that they banned pencils, pens, scissors, nail clippers and regular toothbrushes inside tents housing hundreds of children, according to an internal document. Workers at the site said they were even instructed to remove the metal nose clips from N95 face masks.”
Where Is the Media?
As of this writing, BBC News and CBS News are the only major media outlets to have covered this story. The other big names have not given the matter much attention. Of course, one does not need to speculate as to how much of a focus this situation would receive if it were happening under the previous administration.
While these children are languishing at Fort Bliss, and likely in other detention centers, the press seems more concerned with political expediency than informing the American public about this problem. Unfortunately, this is what happens when those calling themselves reporters believe their job is to keep Bidens’ approval ratings from collapsing.
~
Read more from Jeff Charles.
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