"This group of kids is clearly recognized as our most vulnerable. Rank-and-file staff are losing sleep over it, wondering if kids are going to be placed in programs where they're not going to have access to the care they need."
"Since late July, more than a dozen pregnant minors have been placed at the Texas facility, which is in the small border city of San Benito. Some were as young as 13, and at least half of those taken in so far became pregnant as a result of rape."
"The move marks a sharp departure from longstanding federal practice, which placed pregnant, unaccompanied migrant children in ORR shelters or foster homes around the country that are equipped to handle high-risk pregnancies."
The Trump administration has directed all pregnant unaccompanied minors apprehended by immigration enforcement to a single group shelter in San Benito, South Texas. This decision contradicts longstanding federal practice of placing such children in equipped shelters or foster homes nationwide. Seven Office of Refugee Resettlement officials report the facility and region lack necessary specialized care for high-risk pregnancies. More than a dozen pregnant minors, some as young as 13, have been placed there since late July. At least half became pregnant through rape. These pregnancies are medically classified as high-risk, particularly for youngest girls. Officials express serious concerns about children's access to adequate care, with staff reporting significant distress about the placement decision.
Read at www.npr.org
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