Brief highlights
The United States’ government has charged the biggest housing provider for migrant kids in the United States with sexually assaulting and intimidating the children under their supervision.
The Department of Justice claimed, in a legal complaint filed on Wednesday – July 17, that workers at Southwest Key, which includes managers, have sexually assaulted, groped, or asked for sexual images and naked photos of the kids in their care since at least 2015.
Headquartered in Austin, Southwest Key is the biggest provider of shelter for kids without parents, receiving funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The kids staying there vary in age from 5 to 17. The lawsuit states that children were threatened with harm to themselves or their families if they spoke up about the abuse. It also mentions that the victims’ statements showed that some staff were aware of the abuse happening but either didn’t report it or covered it up.
About Southwest Key
The Southwest Key is the biggest group that helps out with housing for kids who are on their own and have come to the US, getting money from the US Department of Health and Human Services. They run 29 places for these kids, with 17 in Texas, 10 in Arizona, and 2 in California. Their biggest place, in Brownsville, Texas, used to be a Walmart and can hold 1,200 kids.
Its program has been a big deal but not really talked about much in how the government has dealt with the huge numbers of kids coming alone in the past few years and during the time when thousands of families were separated in 2017 and 2018 because of President Donald Trump’s time in office. The government gave them over $3 billion to work with from 2015 to 2023.
When the Border Patrol catches a kid who is on their own, they have to hand them over to Health and Human Services within 72 hours. Health and Human Services then sends most of these kids back to their parents or close family members after they stay at places like Southwest Key or other places run by other groups that the government has paid to help.
Southwest Key has been caring for migrant children who are on their own in the US for 20 years, helping them find family or a guardian. This work is supported by grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2014, the company experienced significant growth as a surge in unaccompanied minors crossing the border led to a massive influx, straining US officials. Southwest Key has been embroiled in debates surrounding immigration issues but has consistently held firm in its commitment to offering high-quality care for children. It refers to its centers as “Casas,” the Spanish word for home.
A normal day for a child in a Southwest Key Casa involves starting with breakfast, attending school, having lunch, dinner, completing homework, enjoying snacks, and going to bed.
The situation of unaccompanied migrant kids
Children without adult supervision lack any social support system, or what you might call it. They have no one in the United States to look out for them, and the only entity that is supposed to be responsible for their care is the government, yet they appear to have failed in this duty by permitting Southwest Key to oversee them.
The allegations in the lawsuit
The legal action, initiated on Wednesday in Austin, the home base of Southwest Key, details the case extensively, stating that officials have received over a hundred reports of sexual misconduct or harassment at the organization’s facilities since 2015.
Among the claims made in the lawsuit: A staff member “consistently sexually assaulted” three young girls, aged 5, 8, and 11, at the Casa Franklin facility in El Paso, Texas.
The 8-year-old girl reported to the authorities that the individual “repeatedly entered their bedrooms at night to touch their ‘private areas,’ and he threatened to harm their families if they spoke up about the abuse.”
The lawsuit also accuses a staff member at the provider’s facility in Mesa, Arizona, of taking a 15-year-old boy to a hotel and paying him to engage in sexual activities for several days in 2020.
Children were threatened with harm to themselves or their families if they reported the abuse, as detailed in the lawsuit. It further states that the victims’ accounts reveal in some cases, the staff were aware of the abuse but either failed to report it or covered it up.
This legal action comes just over three weeks after a federal judge approved the Justice Department’s request to remove special court oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services’ care for unaccompanied migrant children.
The Biden administration argued that new federal protections made special oversight unnecessary, 27 years after the oversight was first established. However, special court oversight is still in effect at the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Border Patrol.
The claim
The Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that Southwest Key did not properly safeguard the children under their supervision, breaching the Fair Housing Act. The DOJ is seeking an immediate halt to these prejudicial behaviors and measures to avert further maltreatment, compensation for the victims, and fines against Southwest Key.
Southwest Key’s position
In its defense, Southwest Key has noted that the main goal of its Programs is to ensure the safety, health, and overall welfare of every child and young person under its care. They stated that they are constantly evaluating the complaint, and it fails to reflect the true nature of the care and dedication their staff offer to the children and youth.
Southwest Key claims to maintain ongoing dialogue and continue to work closely with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a partnership they have allegedly had for the last twenty years, to guarantee the safety of the children and youth placed in its care during their brief stay at Southwest Key.
Final thoughts
In recognition of the work being done to correct the severe injustices these kids have faced; it is anticipated that the federal government will also acknowledge its part in the matter.
Furthermore, it is desired that the government implements the strictest actions to guarantee the safety of children currently residing at Southwest Key centers.
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