‘Repeated sexual harassment’: Largest US housing provider abused migrant children for 8 years

NEW DELHI: Employees of Southwest Key Programs Inc., the largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children in the United States, have been accused of sexually abusing and harassing children in their care for at least eight years, according to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. The allegations, which span from 2015 to the present, involve numerous incidents of rape, inappropriate touching, and solicitation of sex and nude images from children.
Southwest Key, operating under grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), runs 29 shelters for migrant children across Texas, Arizona, and California, with a capacity for over 6,300 children.The organization has received over $3 billion in government contracts from 2015 to 2023. Despite numerous reports of abuse, the Justice Department alleges that children continued to be placed in Southwest Key’s care.
The lawsuit details over 100 reports of sexual abuse or harassment at Southwest Key shelters since 2015. Specific incidents include an employee at the Casa Franklin shelter in El Paso, Texas, who “repeatedly sexually abused” three girls aged 5, 8, and 11, and a worker at the Mesa, Arizona, shelter who took a 15-year-old boy to a hotel and paid him for sexual acts in 2020. Children were often threatened with violence against themselves or their families if they reported the abuse.
Leecia Welch, deputy legal director at Children’s Rights, described the allegations as “absolutely disgusting” and criticised the ongoing placement of children at Southwest Key during the period of alleged abuse. “If they’re bringing this complaint that they saw a pattern and practice of sexual harassment and violating these kids while still placing kids at Southwest Key during the same time period, that’s why I have such a disconnect,” Welch said.
Neha Desai, senior director for immigration at the National Center for Youth Law, called the allegations “profoundly disturbing and shocking,” urging the government to take “the most aggressive measures possible” to ensure the safety of children currently in Southwest Key facilities.
The lawsuit follows the lifting of special court oversight of HHS’ care of unaccompanied migrant children, known as the Flores agreement. This oversight had allowed attorneys to visit custody facilities, conduct interviews, and register complaints. The Biden administration argued that new federal safeguards rendered this oversight unnecessary.
Advocates, however, express concerns over the lack of state oversight, particularly in Texas and Florida, where state licenses for migrant child facilities were revoked in 2021. Carrie Van der Hoek, deputy program director for the Young Center’s Child Advocate Program in Texas, reported that complaints to the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) often went uninvestigated due to jurisdictional issues.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra emphasised the department’s “zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, inappropriate sexual behavior, and discrimination,” but did not comment on whether children would be removed from Southwest Key’s care or if the nonprofit’s contracts would be terminated.
Southwest Key spokesperson Anais Biera Miracle said the organization is reviewing the complaint and disputed the allegations, claiming it does not reflect the quality of care provided to the children. The company has maintained its mission to provide quality care despite the controversies and scrutiny it has faced.
Critics, including Diane de Gramont of the National Center for Youth Law, highlight the need for immediate action to ensure the safety of children in Southwest Key shelters and the accountability of those responsible for their care. “ORR continued to contract with Southwest Key despite knowing of some of these issues,” de Gramont said. “And we would be extremely concerned if kids then ended up in border patrol facilities for longer periods of time because ORR didn’t have enough beds for them.”
The Justice Department’s civil lawsuit seeks a jury trial and monetary damages for the victims of the alleged abuse, reflecting the ongoing need for stringent oversight and accountability in the care of vulnerable migrant children.