“A watchdog said on Thursday that botched communications both internally and with other agencies left the Health and Human Services Department unprepared to properly care for a surge of immigrant children in its custody during the Trump administration’s family separation policy at the Southwestern border.”
“Although the Homeland Security Department, in coordination with the Justice Department, separated families of unauthorized immigrants along the United States-Mexico border under the administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy, children were typically placed in HHS’ custody and cared for by the department’s Unaccompanied Alien Children program. The policy to increase criminal prosecutions for those crossing the border illegally ran from May to June 2018, but was carried out informally before and after as well.”
“While roughly 2,700 children were separated from their parents during the official six-week run of the policy, as of November 2019, over 5,400 children had been separated from their parents at the border since July 2017, the Associated Press reported. The IG reported that HHS’ interagency communication issues were among those that hindered its ability to provide sufficient care for children and reunite them with their parents.”
“‘Future immigration trends, practices and policies will continue to affect the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program. In this quickly changing landscape, clear lines of communication across federal agencies and within HHS are vital to its ability to adapt and respond effectively to new developments,’ said HHS Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm, in a press release. ‘The vulnerabilities we identified need to be addressed to ensure that HHS can effectively care for children in its custody…’” Read the full article here.
Source: Watchdog: Poor Communication Left HHS Ill-Equipped to Handle Family Separation Policy – By Courtney Bublé, March 6, 2020. Government Executive.
