First on CBS News: Migrant children in U.S. custody suffered distress and panic attacks at a makeshift shelter due to deficient services, a federal government watchdog found.
were spending weeks at the base, despite its temporary role. In interviews with lawyers, some of them described talk of self-harm and suicidal thoughts.that migrant teens at the facility were constantly monitored for panic attacks, incidents of self-harm and escape attempts. Due to concerns about the children's mental health, officials banned pencils, pens, scissors, nail clippers, toothbrushes and other items that minors could use to harm themselves.
In her response to the inspector general's findings, January Contreras, an HHS assistant secretary who oversees the unaccompanied children's program, conceded the"service delivery evolution" at Fort Bliss was"significant," saying investigators reviewed"one of the most challenging periods" in the program's history.
A senior HHS official, who requested anonymity to discuss the department's policies, said the Fort Bliss tent camp was kept open and revamped, despite the subpar conditions and troubling allegations last year, because of the thousands of beds the facility offers. In addition to its findings related to Fort Bliss, the inspector general's report raised questions aboutdesigned to expedite the release of some unaccompanied children in the department's care.