{"id":606198,"date":"2018-07-23T14:33:18","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T20:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=606198"},"modified":"2018-07-23T14:33:18","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T20:33:18","slug":"rotten-meat-chicken-pox-tearful-separations-migrants-describe-their-experience-in-federal-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/07\/rotten-meat-chicken-pox-tearful-separations-migrants-describe-their-experience-in-federal-custody\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotten meat. Chicken pox. Tearful separations. Migrants describe their experience in federal custody."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_594206\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-594206\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CBP_McAllen_4-771x517.jpg\" alt=\"Children\" width=\"771\" height=\"517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CBP_McAllen_4-771x517.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CBP_McAllen_4-336x225.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CBP_McAllen_4-768x515.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CBP_McAllen_4-1170x784.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/CBP_McAllen_4.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">U.S. Customs and Border Protection<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Undocumented immigrant children at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center in McAllen, Texas.<\/p><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Rotten sandwich meat that\u2019s turned green or black; noodle soup cooked so little that the noodles are still hard; drinking water that smells like chlorine, Clorox or \u201cjust bad.\u201d Cramped, cold conditions; tearful separations of children and mothers; guards who said Mexicans won\u2019t ever receive asylum in the United States.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In more than 1,000 pages of new court declarations from children and adults in federal custody, several hundred migrants who crossed the border seeking asylum describe long waits for medical care, outbreaks of chicken pox and untreated diaper rashes. The documents detail minimal access to legal services, with obstacles like language barriers and migrants&#8217; confusion about their own rights. Some migrants say they are told they aren\u2019t welcome in the United States; others are told it doesn\u2019t matter what they try, they\u2019ll be deported in a matter of days.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Many of these families were separated under the Trump administration\u2019s \u201czero tolerance\u201d policy, a now walked-back practice of sending parents into federal custody to be criminally charged for illegal border entry while their children were held in federally run shelters. Migrants gave these statements, which describe conditions in Customs and Border Patrol processing facilities as well as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention centers, to lawyers from various advocacy organizations in June and July 2018. Lawyers advocating for the migrants submitted the documents to a federal judge, alleging that the legal requirements for children\u2019s care are being violated and asking that a special monitor be appointed to oversee the facilities.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article originally appeared in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2018\/07\/23\/detention-hundreds-immigrants-describe-experience-federal-custody\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Texas Tribune<\/a>,\u00a0a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Federal officials declined to comment on the pending litigation, but cited a June 2018 court document from the government in which Henry Moak, chief accountability officer for Customs and Border Patrol, said that based on his own interviews with children in federal custody, CBP continues to comply with legal requirements for kids\u2019 treatment in those centers. Those facilities are required to provide age-appropriate food and keep rooms at a certain temperature.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Migrant families passing through detention facilities have long complained of such conditions, but new attention \u2014 and new duress \u2014 have been placed on these families under the administration\u2019s new practice of separating families.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Complaints of cold facilities, inedible food and long wait times were ubiquitous throughout the accounts. Here are some of the most striking stories:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Denia M., a 20-year-old mother from Honduras,<\/strong> crossed the border with her 1-year-old daughter, Zoe. She said she fled after gangs killed her husband and burned down their store in Atlantida; they fled so quickly she said she would miss her husband\u2019s funeral. In detention, her infant daughter got sick and began having diarrhea, but Denia said \u201cI don\u2019t want to ask for a doctor because I am afraid the officials will retaliate and hurt my case if I do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606205\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Denia.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"623\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Denia.png 623w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Denia-336x165.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 623px) 100vw, 623px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Manuel A., a 17-year-old from Roatan, Honduras, <\/strong>said he left because of threats from drug dealers. It took him six months to reach the border, he said. Now, he feels \u201cvery lonely\u201d and said agents told him his asylum case would not be accepted because \u201cthey don\u2019t want stupid people like me here bothering their country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606208\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Manuel_A.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Manuel_A.png 650w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Manuel_A-336x225.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Katharine B., a 17-year-old from El Salvador,<\/strong> describes saying goodbye to her mother after they crossed the Rio Grande in a raft. Before separating them, an officer asked, &#8220;Did you get a chance to say goodbye to your mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-606209\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_3-771x249.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"771\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_3-771x249.png 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_3-336x108.png 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_3-768x248.png 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_3.png 822w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Later, Katharine says there is an unattended 2-year-old baby named Bethany in her \u201ccage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606210\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_2.png 650w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Katharine_B_2-336x225.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Rebecca Y., a 21-year-old from Comayagua, Honduras,<\/strong> describes being separated from her 4-year-old niece, Brittany: \u201cThey left my niece sleeping in the cell. They didn\u2019t tell me why they had pulled me out or whether I would go back to the cell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606211\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebecca_Y_7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"661\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebecca_Y_7.png 661w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebecca_Y_7-336x126.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 661px) 100vw, 661px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>10-year-old Dixiana S., of Honduras,<\/strong> says she was separated from her mother at a processing facility and put in a cell with other girls. There, \u201ca male officer kicked me to wake me up. \u2026 The kick scared me and hurt.\u201d She says all the girls in her cell were crying, and the lights were always on.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606212\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dixiana.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"635\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dixiana.png 635w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dixiana-336x131.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A 29-year-old Honduran mother, Dixia S., <\/strong>said she was separated from her 10-year-old daughter despite concerns about her daughter\u2019s asthma. They were placed in different parts of the same facility. \u201cI missed my daughter desperately,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606213\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dixia.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dixia.png 620w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dixia-336x67.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A Mexican mother and son \u2014 Patricia H., 43, and Angel A., 13 \u2014<\/strong> each described to a lawyer their journey into the United States, during which they were separated twice.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">During their first separation, in Brownsville, Patricia \u201casked why they had put me in one cell and him in another. They told me that the zero tolerance policy had started, and that they were going to separate mothers from their children. They told me I was going to court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Patricia said she told an official that they were seeking asylum. But \u201che told me that he would put it down in his file but that Mexicans can\u2019t get asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">While Patricia was in court, Angel said he was taken back across the border, handed over to Mexican authorities, and brought to a juvenile detention facility in Matamoros, Mexico. Patricia was told her son had been deported, and that she had the option of staying in the United States or finding him in Mexico.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThey told me that it was their error that he was deported but they couldn\u2019t bring him back,\u201d Patricia said.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606214\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Patricia.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"628\" height=\"582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Patricia.png 628w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Patricia-336x311.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 628px) 100vw, 628px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Rosa P., a 34-year-old Guatemalan woman,<\/strong> said she was separated from her 16-year-old daughter and could not understand what happened to her during immigration or legal proceedings because there was no one who could translate into her native language of Q\u2019eqchi\u2019, a Mayan language.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606215\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rosa.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"631\" height=\"123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rosa.png 631w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rosa-336x65.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 631px) 100vw, 631px\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Anet M., a 15-year-old from Chiapas, Mexico,<\/strong> says she was told she could not seek asylum \u201cbecause I am a minor.\u201d Anet is two months pregnant.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-606216\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Anet.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"629\" height=\"662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Anet.png 629w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Anet-336x354.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px\" \/><script src=\"https:\/\/cdn.texastribune.org\/pixel\/dot.min.29c708b3d0da5d17a725.js\" integrity=\"sha384-8Xwf\/TlQnmHiajg1t3dn8w4qlF1rmV33o5NAQVXYu0T2q3rHV5579zrSmRjh+XnM\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" data-tt-canonical=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2018\/07\/23\/detention-hundreds-immigrants-describe-experience-federal-custody\/\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In court filings, more than 200 migrants describe long waits for medical care, minimal access to legal services, verbal abuse from guards and untreated diaper rashes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":594206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[140],"class_list":["post-606198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-border-and-immigration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}