FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Government Accountability Project Raises Ongoing Concerns about Treatment of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children at HHS Emergency Intake Sites

In the Face of Increasing Numbers in HHS Custody, Past Whistleblower Disclosures Remain Unanswered

WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project called on Congress and federal oversight agencies to investigate and assess whether the horrific conditions at the Fort Bliss Emergency Intake Site (EIS) and other EISs for unaccompanied migrant children reported by multiple whistleblowers last summer have been addressed and remedied.

To date, three whistleblower disclosures have been filed and publicly released. They reveal gross mismanagement, chaos and negligent conditions harmful to the health and safety of children at the Fort Bliss EIS and other EISs run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through its Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Today’s letter provides a recap of those concerns, details concerning trends showing the likely substantial increase of children in HHS custody and includes an additional whistleblower disclosure from Kaitlin Hess, a career federal civil servant. Ms. Hess volunteered at Fort Bliss from May through June last year. Her disclosure reveals:

• Faulty case management software, which resulted in 700 “lost” children waiting for unknown lengths of time without having ever seen a case manager to facilitate their reunification with family;
• Egregious errors in...

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