President Donald Trump's Department of Justice and Health and Human Services jointly released statement On Wednesday, it announced that unaccompanied immigrant children will no longer be placed in shelters run by Southwest Key Program.
The department calls it a “movement to end sexual abuse and harassment” and notes that all children have been moved to other shelters.
“Bad actors were encouraged to exploit children and break our laws. This is over now.”
Southwest Key, a nonprofit organization, operates more than 20 temporary living facilities in Texas, Arizona and California, has become the largest shelter provider for foreign children who have entered the United States without parents or guardians.
A joint press release between DOJ and HSS noted that a decision was born to eliminate children born from a July 2024 lawsuit that claimed that Southwest's key employees were “unaccompanied alien children are undergoing illegal sexual harassment and abuse.”
The lawsuit denounced some employees for rape from children, inappropriate touching and inviting employees, which began in 2015. One worker is said to have “recurringly sexually abused” the youngest, five-year-old girl.
“Due to continued concerns related to these placements, HHS has decided to halt the placement of unaccompanied foreign children at major facilities in the Southwest and consider grants with the organization. Given the actions of HHS, the Department of Justice has dismissed the lawsuit against the Southwest Key,” the press release explained.
At least two workers face criminal charges in connection with the allegations; Associated Press It has been reported.
“This administration is working boldly to end the tragedy of human trafficking and other abuses of unaccompanied alien children illegally entering the country,” HHS Chief Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
“For too long, harmful actors have exploited such children before and after entering the United States. Today's actions are an important step towards ending this innocent crime abuse,” he added.
Attorney General Pamela Bondy said the Trump administration and the DOJ are committed to protecting children and securing borders.
“Under the border policies of previous administrations, bad actors were encouraged to exploit children and break our laws. This is over,” declared Bondi.
As a result of the administration's decision, Southwest Key sent Farrow Let me know Became an employee on March 10th. Employees are not expected to work and do not receive a salary.
“As a national provider of refugee resettlement and a national provider of Southwest's major programs, we share a heavy heart,” the email said.
“This unexpected notification created a challenging situation for Southwest Key,” he continued. “This unexpected business situation has led Southwest Key to make the difficult decision to implement temporary flows.”
Southwest Key did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Blaze News.
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