Migrant children illegally held in unlicensed facilities, attorney says

The Trump administration has been illegally holding unaccompanied migrant children in unlicensed facilities in violation of a federal agreement designed to protect them, attorneys say.

Peter Schey, one of the lead attorneys representing detained children, told The Hill he sent the Justice Department a letter outlining a series of violations, including about 10 or 12 facilities that failed to produce licenses when inspected.

Among them was the largest facility for unaccompanied children in the country, located in Homestead, Fla.

The letter was first reported by CBS News, and confirmed to The Hill by Schey, who described its contents.

Schey said he is preparing to file a motion in the coming days, alleging numerous violations of the Flores agreement from the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I don’t think they’re ignorant of this, they know they’re violating federal law,” Schey said of the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the facilities for detained migrant children.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/426997-migrant-children-illegally-held-in-unlicensed-facilities-attorney-says