‘UNSAFE AND UNHEALTHY’

American Bar Association Calls for End of ‘Inhumane’ Treatment of Migrant Kids

The association is also calling for attorneys to be allowed into detention facilities.

The American Bar Association has called for an end to “inhumane and illegal treatment” of migrant children and demanded that attorneys get access to Customs and Border Protection-run facilities. In a statement late Tuesday, the ABA referred to cases involving children and infants being held for weeks in “overcrowded” government-run facilities that were “unsafe and unhealthy[.]” The organization also pointed to a Justice Department attorney making the argument that necessities, like soap and toothbrushes, may not be needed for migrants in short-term detention. “We urge Congress to pass supplemental appropriations to ensure the appropriate treatment and care of unaccompanied immigrant children in government custody,” the organization said. “And we call on the administration to enforce laws and settlements that guarantee humane, minimal standards of care for vulnerable children, no matter how they arrived in our country.”