Alarming conditions in US migrant child camp, says report

With diseases being rampant, food being dangerous, and numerous reports of sexual abuse, migrant children ata US border detention centre in the Texan desert have been living in extremely disturbing conditions, a media report said.

The US has been experiencing a massive rise in migrants and asylum seekers from Central America. As per experts, there have been various factors that have led to the influx, some of which include, violence, natural disasters and pandemic-related economic strife. Also, a 'more lenient' administration under Democrat Joe Biden has contributed to the crisis.

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The Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas, is the temporary home for over 2,000 teenaged children. These teens have crossed the US-Mexico border alone and are now hoping to reunite with their families in the US.

As a part of the investigation, BBC spoke to camp employees about the alarming conditions. The BBC also gained access to photos and video smuggled out by staff.

The investigation revealed that the camp consists of at least 12 tents, housing hundreds of children at a time. The staff told the BBC the food was mostly edible. However, a 15-year-old who has now been released said that he was fed uncooked meat. BBC quoted him saying "Sometimes the chicken had blood, the meat very red. We couldn't stand our hunger and we ate it, but we got sick from it."

Nicknamed by the children as 'Covid City', the tents have also been set up to house a massive number of sick children. An employee told BBC that hundreds of children tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.

Apart from this, outbreaks of the flu and strep throat have also been reported. The authorities have failed to provide immediate medical attention to those in need of it, reveals the report.

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The 15-year-old who spoke to BBC was released last month after spending 38 days in detention. He revealed that he caught Covid-19 soon after arriving in the camp. After he recovered, he was sent back to live in a crowded tent and became ill again. He said, "When we went to ask for medicine they gave us dirty looks, and they always laughed among themselves."

Reports of sexual abuse have also emerged. There are reports of the staff sexually abusing children. An employee told BBC, "We have already caught staff with minors inappropriately."

Another employee told that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had spoken to staff about a rape.

BBC quoted her saying, "DHS mentioned there was a rape - they are giving the girls pregnancy tests". She added, "And I heard the other night that another contractor was caught in a boys' tent, you know, doing things with him."

The Department of Health and Human Services, which employs private contractors to run the camp, claims that it is committed to transparency. However, the BBC was denied access to the camp. Also, HHS did not respond to the specific allegations of negligence in Fort Bliss uncovered by the BBC. In a public statement, it claims that it is "providing required standards of care for children such as clean and comfortable sleeping quarters, meals, toiletries, laundry, educational and recreational activities, and access to medical services."