Honduran officials said last week that the U.S. government is doing a good job of taking care of the unaccompanied children surging across the border, contradicting claims of abuse that have been lodged by immigrant-rights groups.
The Honduran embassy in Washington said in a statement that it has sent teams to visit the two processing facilities U.S. Customs and Border Protection is running in Brownsville, Texas, and Nogales, Ariz., and said the children are getting medical care, counseling and emotional support.
Children are also able to contact their families, the embassy said in its release, issued in Spanish.
The American Civil Liberties Union and several immigrant-rights groups filed a complaint with CPB earlier this month charging that some children reported having been abused, verbally and physically, while in custody of the Border Patrol.
All sides agree the Border Patrol’s capacity to manage the situation has been stretched, but CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said the agents he’s seen have been “heroic” in going beyond their training to do things such as change diapers or heat baby formula.
The Honduran embassy released photos from their visits that showed one boy reading a Bible in Spanish, a spacious room with cots lined up neatly along the walls, and children playing soccer on an outdoor parking lot.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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