We treat immigrant children with compassion
The Feb. 22 column by Fabiola Santiago, “Would we accept a prison camp for immigrant Cuban children in Miami-Dade? Never.” criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the care it provides unaccompanied alien children after they illegally cross our border. It mischaracterized our temporary influx shelter as a prison camp for the mass incarceration of children.
The children cared for at our temporary shelter in Homestead are not prisoners. There are no barred cells or locked doors. Similar to schools in any community in the country, the shelter has schedules and policies in place to provide stability and routine to the children, such as classes walking in lines through a building.
Congress transferred the responsibility for the care of these children to HHS more than 16 years ago because a key part of our human services mission is child welfare. As Santiago noted, many of these children fled rampant gang violence. What she categorizes as “secrecy” is ensuring the privacy and safety of these children.
We treat the children in our care with dignity and respect, and deliver services to them in a compassionate and organized manner while we work expeditiously to find each one a suitable sponsor. Every child receives an individual bed; case management; counseling; access to legal services; medical and mental healthcare; three meals a day plus snacks; private showers, recreation including soccer, basketball, movies, arts and crafts, and board games; religious services; and educational services.
However, we agree with both Santiago and Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro that the necessity of having children in our care is the result of “a broken system.” The solution is for Congress to fix our broken immigration system, which could eliminate the need for our facilities.
Until then, we are following the law and our mission to provide quality care for these children.
Jonathan Hayes,
acting director,
Office of Refugee Resettlement, Washington, D.C.
