Migrant Children Face Dangerous and Abhorrent Conditions at Trump’s For-Profit Detention Camps

Leslie is joined by Hope Frye, an internationally recognized immigration lawyer focused on disadvantaged populations, especially women and children. She is also the Co-founder and Executive Director of 'Project Lifeline,' a nonprofit focused on children who are or were in immigration detention in CBP jails, ORR shelters or ICE family detention facilities.

The two first discuss the newest report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), which found the Trump administration’s policy changes in 2018 exacerbated the mental health needs of “unaccompanied alien children” in their custody. The OIG found two particular policies — separating children from their parents and prolonging the time children are in custody — as being especially harmful to the children’s mental health.

The report states, “Facilities reported that children with longer stays experienced more stress, anxiety, and behavioral issues, which staff had to manage. Some children who did not initially exhibit mental health or behavioral issues began reacting negatively as their stays grew longer.”
The OIG report also found that some clinicians were treating as many as 25 children, despite ORR guidelines calling for one clinician per every 12 children. This meant less time for counseling and less individual attention.

To close out the interview, Leslie and Hope discuss the massive conflicts of interest presented by CBP and ICE holding over 70 percent of the immigrants they have in their custody in privately owned, for-profit facilities.

Adding to the conflicts, GEO Group and CoreCivic, which contributed to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and inauguration, received $985 million from their contracts with ICE. To give you an idea of how significant of an amount that is, it comprises more than a third of what ICE spends on custody each year.

Hope Frye is active in projects with the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL), and has testified before the House and Senate about the conditions of confinement and treatment of children held in CBP facilities at the border.

The website for 'Project Lifeline' is ProjectLifeline.us and their Twitter handle is @ProjLifeline. Their mission spans the child’s experience with the goal of providing continuity of care. They are the only nonprofit with a medical and legal programs.