Detained Immigrant Children Describe Poor Conditions, Abuse, at Shelters
Stunning allegations of physical and emotional abuse of migrant children separated from their parents at the border and held in shelters have begun to surface, including one Chicago shelter run by the Heartland Alliance. “I felt like a prisoner,” said one nine year-old Brazilian boy who was held for five weeks - three in isolation due to chickenpox - at the shelter in Chicago. At one point the shelter allegedly put up a gate to keep him in isolation. “I felt like a prisoner,” said the boy. Another 11 year-old from Guatemala held in the same shelter for six weeks said he had to ask permission to hug his sister. Other children also described verbal and physical abuse, threats they would be held indefinitely, poor conditions, lack of adequate medical care, and being injected with unknown substances. In a letter to Heartland, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said he was “distressed” by the allegations and demanded an investigation. (Washington Post)