The National Immigrant Justice Center--along with the ACLU Border Litigation Project, Americans for Immigrant Justice, Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project--filed an administrative complaint on behalf of more than 100 unaccompanied immigrant children who reported being abused and assaulted by U.S. border officials. The complaint indicated a serious and long-standing systemic problem that must immediately be resolved. The abuse resulted in international media attention on the unaccompanied immigrant children refugee crisis the United States faces.
La Opinión: Denuncian maltratos de autoridades contra niños migrantes solos (6/11/2014) and Niños migrantes: así nos abusaron en la frontera (fotos) (6/11/2014)
Associated Press: Groups allege abuse of child immigrants at border (6/11/2014)
BuzzFeed: ACLU And Immigrant Rights Groups Accuse Border Patrol Of “Widespread” Child Abuse (6/11/2014)
The New York Times: Aid Groups Allege Abuses of Young Border Crossers (6/11/2014) and Officials to Investigate Reports of Mistreatment of Minors Caught Crossing Border (6/12/2014)
The Guardian: Immigration groups allege abuse of migrant minors by US border patrol (6/11/2014)
NBC: Immigrant Children Raped, Punched in Custody: Complaint (6/11/2014)
Notimex: Denuncian "abuso" de niños inmigrantes (6/11/2014)
Courthouse News Service: Humanitarian Crisis on the U.S. Border (6/11/2014)
CNN: Sexual abuse of minors alleged at border as kids flock into U.S. (6/12/2014)
Reuters: Immigration groups allege abuse of children by U.S. Border Patrol (6/12/2014)
The Nation: Migrant Children Accuse Border Patrol Agents of Physical and Sexual Assault (6/12/2014)
Agencia EFE / Univision: Coalición denuncia abusos en contra de menores indocumentados en frontera (6/12/2014)
Hoy Los Angeles: Piden declarar estado de emergencia por migración infantil (6/13/2014)
ThinkProgress: Border Officials Allegedly Abused Children Who Crossed The Border On Their Own (6/13/2014)
Latin Post: Overwhelmed Border Patrol Accused of Racism, Sexual Abuse; Agents Prevented From Speaking to Media (6/15/2014)
Truthout: The Grim Reality of Unaccompanied Migrant Children (6/20/2014)
An initial report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General dismissing the allegations proved the office failed to adequately investigate the charges. NIJC continues to receive reports from children of abuse and is surprised and disappointed with these findings; we will continue to push the administration for greater transparency and accountability.
The New York Times: Report Counters Claims of Migrant Abuse (9/3/2014)
The Arizona Republic: Report: Migrant kids not held in freezing-cold cells (9/3/2014)
Reposted on USA TODAY: U.S. officials: Facilities for migrant kids were humane (9/3/2014)