Allegations of abuse of illegal immigrant children in Virginia 'unfounded'
by Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Monday, August 13, 2018
Virginia authorities have cleared a facility that houses illegal immigrant children after finding that reports of child abuse were “unfounded.”
Shenandoah Valley Social Services, however, did recommend changes at Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, urging the staff to undergo “cultural competency training” and saying they could offer better mental health services for traumatized children.
The review came after 18 complaints were lodged by children who had been kept at the facility and said they faced neglect or abuse.
Child Protective Services investigated and was unable to substantiate the claims.
“We did not find any clear evidence of abuse or neglect as defined by Virginia state policy; therefore, we have made an ‘Unfounded’ disposition,” an investigator wrote in a note to the federal Health and Human Services Department, which runs the facility.
Still the investigator recommended the improvements in training and care.
The Shenandoah facility is one of a number of dorms and shelters across the country that hold Unaccompanied Alien Children, who are juveniles that attempt to cross into the U.S. without their parents.
Most of the facilities are dorms that include schoolrooms, athletic fields, trips to the movies and other activities and complete health care.
But three of the facilities, including Shenandoah, are deemed “secure” facilities and can hold children who are criminals or otherwise seen as safety threats.
In addition to the state investigation, the inspector general for the federal health department also has announced a probe of the facilities.
In a letter to Sens. Charles E. Grassley and Dianne Feinstein, the chairman and ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, respectively, the inspector general said he already had deployed teams to dorms across the nation.
“We believe that this work will address the types of abuse allegations referenced in your letter, as well as the adequacy of HHS policies and procedures in place to prevent and deter such abuse,” Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general, wrote.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the review in June, hours after The Associated Press published first-person accounts by children as young as 14 who said they were handcuffed, shackled and beaten at the facility. They also described being stripped of their clothes and locked in solitary confinement, sometimes strapped to chairs with bags over their heads.
The state investigators said they were unable to interview the immigrant teens who made sworn statements saying they were severely abused. Those who made the initial complaints as part of a federal class-action lawsuit filed in November 2017 subsequently were transferred to other facilities or deported back to their home countries after the resolution of their immigration cases.
Mr. Northam issued a statement applauding his administration’s “quick and comprehensive examination.”
“I take these allegations very seriously and directed members of my administration to immediately look into these claims of abuse and mistreatment,” the Democratic governor said. “The safety of every child being held there is of the utmost importance.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...egal-immigran/
