US workers fear retaliation for treatment of unaccompanied migrant children

The US government workers fear retaliation for the treatment of unaccompanied migrant children at a Texas military base, where children have been held amid record arrivals at the US-Mexico border, according to a report released on Tuesday by the US Health and Human Services HHS inspector general's office.

A staff member working with HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement ORR leadership was cited in Tuesday's report as a result of the alleged acts of retaliation that resulted in demotion and removal from assignments. ORR oversees the care and custody of unaccompanied minors.

The staffer, who was not named, was allegedly being transferred and demoted after raising concerns about the treatment of children at the base and the removal of certain safety checks in the program to release children to sponsors.

An HHS official told Reuters that the agency would not retaliate against someone who raised a child welfare concern.

The agency faced challenges during an emergency situation in the spring of 2021, but now conditions at Fort Bliss are night and day compared to when they were in the spring of 2021, according to the HHS official. The official said that there are currently 589 children at the base, and children stay at the base for 13 days before being released to parents or other sponsors.

ORR's parent agency agreed with all of the recommendations, including making sure employees and contractors are aware of whistleblower protections.

In a letter to the inspector general, the agency pledged to more explicitly specify the protections in contractor agreements and trainings.

The number of children caught crossing the border with Mexico increased sharply in the year 2021, posing operational and humanitarian challenges for US President Joe Biden, a Democrat. In order to alleviate overcrowding in border stations, HHS opened several emergency shelters to house unaccompanied children until they could be placed with sponsors in the United States.

Migrant children sent to the emergency shelters, including Fort Bliss, described crowded living conditions, lack of clean clothes and struggles with depression, according to child testimonials filed in court in June 2021.