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Children Recount Mistreatment, Sexual Abuse at Yuma, AZ Migrant Jail

HeadlineJul 10, 2019

A report by NBC shares new accounts of mistreatment and sexual violence experienced by locked-up migrant children at a Yuma, Arizona, detention facility. In nearly 30 accounts collected by Health and Human Services case managers, children complained of hunger, having to sleep on concrete floors or outside, and lack of access to basic sanitation. A 15-year-old girl said an officer groped her underneath her clothing during what was supposed to be a routine pat-down, and joked around with other agents during the ordeal.

The Trump administration has dismissed reports of abuse against detained migrants despite recent congressional visits to migrant jails and multiple accounts of mistreatment recorded by legal and other experts. Trump said migrants were “very happy,” while acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan called such accounts “unsubstantiated.” House Democrats have called on McAleenan to testify about the conditions faced by jailed migrants.

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