Senate Democrats request watchdog, International Red Cross probe DHS detention facilities
“We respectfully request that you immediately investigate Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention facilities at the southwest border, in particular the conditions for minors, family units, and other vulnerable individuals,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was spearheaded by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
{mosads}The senators added that they want Kelly’s office to look into whether the detention facilities met the requirements under the Flores settlement, which requires that undocumented minor migrants are held “in facilities that are safe and sanitary and that are consistent with the [DHS’s] concern for the particular vulnerability of minors.”
“We request that your investigation examine how these funds are being spent by CBP to address humanitarian needs at the border, including overcrowding, and whether these resources are being deployed quickly and effectively,” the Democratic senators added.
The letter comes after CBP confirmed on Monday that a Guatemalan teenager died in U.S. custody, marking the fifth death of an immigrant minor at the southern border since December.
CBP has said it expects more than 500,000 migrants to cross the border in fiscal 2019, which began on Oct. 1.
DHS this month asked the Pentagon for further assistance at the U.S.-Mexico border, by providing support such as tents. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has said U.S. troops will remain at the border until it is deemed secure.
“The ICRC has played a critical role in ensuring that migrant detention facilities around the world comply with international human rights standards,” the senators wrote. “We ask that you immediately launch an investigation into CBP’s facilities for detained migrants on the U.S. southwest border.”
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