Today, American Bridge 21st Century submitted a public records request under the Freedom of Information Act demanding the Trump Administration release records as they relate to missing babies, girls, and pregnant women who are being held at detention centers.
For weeks, the Trump administration has only released photos and video of migrant boys in detention ages 10 and up, but the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services have repeatedly ignored questions and withheld information on the migrant girls and infants separated from their families. This week, HHS finally released select images of two shelters, but they still have not allowed media or elected officials to enter the detention facilities.
We know that more than 3,000 women and girls are currently being detained — and an undisclosed number of babies and pregnant women. We also know that Scott Lloyd, who heads the Office of Refugee Resettlement, has a history of attempting to bar women in his custody from accessing attorneys or abortion care.
Meanwhile, there are reports of children in detention being forcibly injected with drugs, and children being sent to shelters with documented histories of physical and sexual abuse — and children’s deaths.
American Bridge is working to uncover the locations and conditions of infants and women and girls, including pregnant women, currently being detained by the US government.
“We are deeply concerned about the thousands of infants, girls, and women – including pregnant women and nursing mothers – who are being detained by DHS and HHS,” said Dawn Huckelbridge, director of the Women’s Rights Initiative at American Bridge. “What is the Trump administration hiding? The American people demand to know where these women and children are and what kind of care they’re being given – and what plan there is for these families to be reunited.”
[pdf-embedder url=”https://americanbridgepac.org/app/uploads/ORR-6-FOIA.pdf” title=”ORR-6 FOIA”] [pdf-embedder url=”https://americanbridgepac.org/app/uploads/Spreadsheet-foia.pdf” title=”Spreadsheet foia”]
Published: Jun 22, 2018