Thread: 700 Illegal Alien Kids Separated From Parents Are in NY, Dozens in Hospitals

700 Migrant Kids Separated From Parents Are in NY; Dozen Seen in NYC Hospitals Are 'Sad, Despondent': Governor, Officials

By Pei-Sze Cheng, Melissa Russo and AP

Published at 5:54 PM EDT on Jun 21, 2018 | Updated at 12:47 AM EDT on Jun 22, 2018


WHAT TO KNOW

• Gov. Cuomo said Thursday there are 700 migrant children separated from their families have been sent to New York foster care agencies
• 12 of those children in New York City of them have been seen in hospitals; officials say they're concerned about the kids' mental health
• Staff at some foster agencies say they're also struggling to find ways to connect the kids with their parents over the phone

UPDATE: NY Demands Foster Agencies Give Info on Immigrant Kids

Federal authorities must provide information on the estimated 700 immigrant children sent to foster care agencies in New York state after being separated from their parents, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday as he continued to bash the Trump administration's handling of the humanitarian crisis on the southern border.

New York is receiving so many displaced children because the state has one of the largest foster-care networks in the nation, Cuomo said. The Democrat says he's sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar requesting information on the children being housed in New York so the state can provide appropriate services, including counseling and mental health evaluations.

One such foster care agency in New York City, the Cayuga Center in East Harlem, has taken in 350 immigrant children since April, the youngest just 9 months old, according to officials there. Children were seen being shuffled to and from the center Wednesday and Thursday, their heads covered in blankets to protect their privacy.

Groups Caring for Migrant Kids Unsure of Future

[IMG]https://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/620*349/Groups_Caring_for_Migrant_Kids_Unsure_of_Future.jp g[/IMG]

The groups that are caring for migrant kids who were separated from their children under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy. Melissa Russo reports.
(Published Thursday, June 21, 2018)

Jeffrey Drummond, a child advocate, told News 4 he checked out the facility during a quick walk-through Thursday. The children there, he said, seemed "perfectly playful."

The Cayuga Center says its services include placing children in bilingual, culturally matched foster homes; providing them with medical and mental health care, daily education and recreation; and helping them to be unified with family members.

While New Yorkers have been calling the city's child welfare agency to volunteer to foster these children, the Administration of Children's Services has zero oversight into the process and must refer them to places like Cayuga.

• EXCLUSIVEMigrant Kids Housed in NY Facility Desperate for Parents

"New York is a very compassionate city, and New Yorkers are always willing to lend a hand," said ACS Commissioner David Hansell.

"We have no oversight over their unaccompanied minors program, but what we told the staff yesterday was that ACS stands ready to take care of these kids," he said.

New York City's First Lady Chirlane McCray also addressed the mental health issues they face: "The terror these innocent children experience, even if only for a few minutes, can affect them for the rest of their lives."

Separation Takes Toll on Migrant Children in NYC

[IMG]https://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/620*349/Separation_Takes_Toll_on_Migrant_Children_in_NYC.j pg[/IMG]

In New York City, it's clear that the separation from their families is taking a toll on migrant children. Pei-Sze Cheng reports.
(Published Thursday, June 21, 2018)

"The risks associated are real," she said.

The head of NYC Health + Hospitals, Mitchell Katz, said foster parents have brought in at least 12 of these children for symptoms ranging from asthma to depression -- one was even suicidal, he said. Eight have been seen in the Bronx, and four at Bellevue.

"Just imagine for a moment that your child has been taken away from you, and what reaction you would expect from your child," he said. "Not surprising that one of the 12 children actually presented suicidal."

• Separated Families Won't Be Immediately Reunited: HHS

"They are sad, despondent and we are unable to help them with their emotional scars," said Dr. Daran Kaufman, who oversees pediatric emergency at North Central Bronx Hospital.

"Our clinicians have been feeling helpless," she said.

Meanwhile, other local foster facilities are struggling to figure out how to put the immigrant children in touch with their parents, a day after President Trump signed the executive order ending family separation at the border.

Protesters Flood LGA Terminals as More Migrant Kids Arrive

[IMG]https://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/620*349/Protesters_Flood_LGA_Terminals_as_More_Migrant_Kid s_Arrive.jpg[/IMG]

Several young boys flew into LaGuardia and taken to a van as hundreds flooded the terminals to protest the separation of children from their families at the border. Katherine Creag reports.
(Published Thursday, June 21, 2018)

At MercyFirst on Long Island, where eight migrant children between the ages 6 to 10 are being cared for, director Gerry McCaffery said, "We certainly hope we aren't getting more children separated from parents, and we hope the children in our care can be reunited with their parents as soon as possible, even if that means going into a detention center."

The Children's Village in Dobbs Ferry is housing 17 undocumented minors, and their director told News 4 in an exclusive interview Wednesday the staff was spending hours navigating the system to help children make contact via Skype or phone.

But a frustrated worker at another local program reported Thursday that while they have federal permission to accept collect calls, some of the border facilities are not allowing parents to make collect calls -- leaving their unaccompanied children traumatized.

• Analysis: Why Trump Had to Back Down on Family Separations

Cuomo said earlier this week that about 70 children had been sent to New York foster care agencies after being separated from their parents when the families were caught entering the country illegally. That number is now around 700, yet state officials don't know exactly how many are being cared for and where they're located because the agencies aren't allowed to divulge that information due to a gag order imposed by the federal government, Cuomo said.

He said it's his legal responsibility as governor of New York to ensure the children within the state's borders receive proper care, whether or not they're U.S. citizens.

"It's my constitutional responsibility to take care of the health and well-being of the kids in my state," Cuomo said. "I believe legally, they must tell me where they are. They're not political pawns that you can hide."

Cuomo's letter sent Thursday to Azar said state officials knew of at least 345 children who had been separated from their parents and brought to New York. The governor said that by the time his teleconference call was held, state officials had learned many more children were in New York than previously thought, with some arriving that very morning.

He laid blame for the discrepancy in the numbers solely on HHS, describing the federal agency as being in a "mad scramble" to find housing for the children while refusing to provide state officials with any information.

Cuomo said earlier this week that about 70 children had been sent to New York foster care agencies after being separated from their parents when the families were caught entering the country illegally. That number is now around 700, yet state officials don't know exactly how many are being cared for and where they're located because the agencies aren't allowed to divulge that information due to a gag order imposed by the federal government, Cuomo said.

He said it's his legal responsibility as governor of New York to ensure the children within the state's borders receive proper care, whether or not they're U.S. citizens.

Trump Stills Vows to Secure Borders After Separation Order

[IMG]https://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/620*349/Trump_Vows_to_Secure_Borders_After_Family_Separati on_Order.jpg[/IMG]

President Trump abruptly reversed himself and signed an executive order halting his administration's policy of separating children from their parents when they are detained illegally crossing the U.S. border. Michael George reports.
(Published Wednesday, June 20, 2018)

"It's my constitutional responsibility to take care of the health and well-being of the kids in my state," Cuomo said. "I believe legally, they must tell me where they are. They're not political pawns that you can hide."

Cuomo's letter sent Thursday to Azar said state officials knew of at least 345 children who had been separated from their parents and brought to New York. The governor said that by the time his teleconference call was held, state officials had learned many more children were in New York than previously thought, with some arriving that very morning.

He laid blame for the discrepancy in the numbers solely on HHS, describing the federal agency as being in a "mad scramble" to find housing for the children while refusing to provide state officials with any information.

• Inconsistency Over How Many Migrant Children Are in NYC

"The state has a right to know what's going on in those foster care agencies," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he hadn't received any response from HHS by Thursday afternoon. Messages left with the agency weren't immediately returned.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...486198421.html

SURE THEY GET THE BEST CARE & WE PAY FOR THIS & OUR CHILDREN GET SHIT CLOSE THE BORDER DOWN & TRUMP SHIP THEM ALL BACK HOME I'M NOT GOING TO PAY . WE GO TO THE (ER) & WE HAVE TO PAY & THEY GET THE (PROPER CARE )& OUR - LADY &BABY & VETS GET A KICK IN THE ASS WE ARE SICK OF THIS BS FROM THE DEM CLOSE THE SB BORDER DOWN & FAST OR BETTER STILL HAVE MORE BOOT'S ON THE GROUND WITH GUN ) I WOULD NOT VOTE FOR A DEM AT ALL . YOU ARE ALL CROOK 'S )

They do not have war in their country.

No asylum...now send them BACK!

AMERICAN'S ARE SAD, DESPONDENT AND BROKE PAYING FOR THIS!