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ESSENTIALLY ARE YOU A WHISTLEBLOWER.
YOU REPORTED A LOT OF THESE TERRIBLE CONDITIONS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS TERMINOLOGY, BUT THE LA TIMES WROTE ABOUT IT AS THEY CALLED IT CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
THEY SAID YOU MAY RECOIL AT THAT TERM.
BUT YOU SHOULD RECOIL, YOU BEING THE PUBLIC.
I MEAN, REALLY, WAS IT THAT BAD?
IS IT THAT BAD?
NO, FIRST, CHRISTIAN, I SHOULD CLARIFY FOR YOUR AUNTS THAT THE CENTERS I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTING WERE THE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL CENTERS.
THESE WERE CENTERS DIRECTLY RUN BY THE OFFICE OF CONTRACTORS AND THEY HOUSED MINOR CHILDREN ACCOMPANIED BY AT LEAST ONE PARENT, TYPICALLY ONE PARENT.
SO THEY ARE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE CENTERS YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
BUT IN ANY CASE, HAVE PARALLEL PROBLEMS IN KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE.
SO LET ME ASK YOU THEN, DO YOU AGREE THAT KIND OF REALLY QUITE POINTED TERMINOLOGY FOR THE ONES THAT NICHOLAS WAS TALKING ABOUT.
I MEAN, IS THAT AN APPROPRIATE WAY TO DESCRIBE THEM?
I THINK THE MA INTHING I CAN TELL YOU IS THEY ARE QUITE UNIFIED IN THE DETENTION OF CHILDREN AND THESE TYPES OF SETTINGS BECAUSE DECADES OF RESEARCH HAVE DEMONSTRATED SUCH DETENTION IS HARMFUL TO BOTH THE MENTAL HEALTH AND THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH.
SO TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE FOUND IN THESE I.C.E.
DETENTION CENTERS, DOCTORS.
MY COLLEAGUE.
A CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGIST, I AM AN INTERNAL MEDICAL EXPERIENCE HAVE BEEN INSPECTING THE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL CENTERS SINCE THE FIRST ONE UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OPENED IN 2014.
FROM THE BEGINNING, WE REPORTED OUR CONCERNS THAT DETENTION OF CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF THE CONDITIONS OF CONFINEMENT IS HARMFUL TO THEIR HEALTH.
IN ADDITION, WE OBSERVED SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS IN MEETING THEIR COMPLEX NEEDS.
WE FOUND PROBLEMS RECRUITING AND RETAINING QUALIFIED PEDIATRICIANS, MEN CAL HEALTH EXPERTS.
THERE WERE PROBLEMS OBTAINIG ADEQUATE INTERPRETATION.
MANY OF THESE CHILDREN SPEAK INDIGITALNOUS LANGUAGES AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES WERE DIFFICULT TO FIND, MAKING THE MEDICAL TRANSACTION VERY FRAUGHT AND RISKY.
AND WE FOUND PROBLEMS WITH THE PHYSICAL DESIGN OF THE FACILITIES, WHICH OFTEN WASN'T WELL PLANNED TO KEEP CHILDREN SAFE.
SO IN ADDITION TO KNOWING THAT DETENTION WAS HARMFUL, YOU FIND THE GOVERNMENT WAS MEETING THE MINIMAL STANDARDS.
About This Episode EXPAND
Christiane Amanpour speaks with Arturo Sarukhan, Nicholas Kulish and Scott Allen about the current relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and conditions at the border. Alicia Menendez talks to Elaine Welteroth about her new memoir, “More Than Enough.”
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