MEXICO CITY (dpa-AFX) - The United Nations' human rights watchdog has voiced its concern over US border agents holding migrant children in immigration detention camps or separated from their families.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on the US Government to find 'non-custodial alternatives' for migrant and refugee children as well as adults.
She noted that UN human rights bodies have found that the detention of migrant children may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment that is prohibited by international law.
'As a pediatrician, but also as a mother and a former head of State, I am deeply shocked that children are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded facilities, without access to adequate health care or food, and with poor sanitation conditions,' said the former two-term President of Chile.
She was referring to a recent 'Management Alert' that the US Department of Homeland Security issued, highlighting the dangerous overcrowding and prolonged detention of children and adults in Border Patrol facilities in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
DHS Office of the Inspector General published a report containing details, including several stunning photos, based on its visit to the border facilities on June 10.
The report noted that there were more than 50 unaccompanied children younger than 7 years old, and children at three of the five Border Patrol facilities had no access to showers.
The report said the Border Patrol was holding about 8,000 detainees in custody, with 3,400 held longer than the 72 hours generally permitted under the stipulated standards.
In the opinion of the High Commissioner, if detention takes place, it should be for the shortest period of time, with due process safeguards and in humane conditions.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote a letter to lawmakers calling on them to draft a Bill to protect migrant children from the horrible conditions they face at the border detention facilities.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2019 AFX News
