Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Babies As Young As 3 Months Old Are Being Held In U.S. Custody Without Any Parents At The Facilities
A Center for Investigative Reporting report finds that a dozen children arrived at Child Crisis Arizona starting in mid-June, after it garnered a $2.4 million contract to house unaccompanied children through January 2022. It’s unclear where the children’s parents are. In other news from the crisis at the border: a momentary reprieve in arrests, a commemorative coin’s connection to a toxic culture within Border Patrol, ICE raids, and more.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Trump administration’s 2018 policy shows that many children were kept in government custody far longer than previously known. At least 18 infants and toddlers under two years old were separated from their parents and “kept apart for 20 days to half a year.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration agrees to allow a Stanford University pediatrician to conduct an independent investigation into health conditions for migrant children at the detention facilities.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
A ProPublica and Frontline investigation about gaps in oversight for patients living outside institutions prompted U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis to order a report and make recommendations for improving care. At least six had died and others struggled to live on their own. Mental health news is from California and Massachusetts, as well.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a 2020 hopeful, announced her proposal ahead of an AARP/Des Moines Register forum in Des Moines. “I believe we owe it to our seniors to make sure they have the care and support they need as they get older, and as president, I will prioritize tackling Alzheimer’s, strengthening health care and retirement security, and reducing prescription drug costs,” Klobuchar said.
“They’re going to make the political argument that they’re winning,” said Regina LaBelle, the former chief of staff for the Office of National Drug Control Policy during the Obama administration. “Which they can say, since deaths are down. But I get concerned that we’re going to take our eye off the ball on the broader issue of addiction.” Meanwhile, in a battle over Philadelphia’s safe injection sites, supporters of the facilities get a boost from other states.
Millions Of Immigrants Brace For ICE Raids This Weekend: ‘There Is A Lot Of Panic And A Lot Of Fear’
Advocates say they are getting calls from immigrants who don’t want to leave their house even to go to the doctor with a sick child. “We keep getting calls and messages from folks, saying, ‘We’re scared. What should we do?'” said Melissa Taveras, a spokeswoman for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Those mass arrests are expected to begin Sunday in nearly a dozen metro areas. The raids were initially delayed after disagreements within the Trump administration.
Media outlets report on news from New York, California, Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin and Florida.
The new shelter in Carrizo Springs, Texas opens following a fierce outcry over the quality of the facilities where detainees were held. But for some critics, the damage is bigger than just one building. “All of this is part of a morally bankrupt system,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas).
The study also found that two-thirds of the attackers suffered from mental health problems. “We want the community to know prevention is everyone’s responsibility,” said Lina Alathari, the chief of the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center. “Not just law enforcement.”
There are still many obstacles that face those who want to access medication to end their lives on their own terms, even after legislation is passed guaranteeing them that right. In other public health news: primary care doctors, Zika, noise in hospitals, cancer research, accessibility apps, and more.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is unlikely to get the more liberal provisions that were dropped from a border aid package earlier this month past the Senate, but the announcement allows the speaker to acknowledge concerns of progressive members of the party who are upset that more has not been done for detainees.
Editorial pages focus on issues in the news about abortion.
“When a child draws this, it’s telling us that child felt like he or she was in jail,” said Dr. Colleen Kraft, immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The pediatricians’ group has been trying to advise Border Patrol on how to screen and care for children in their custody, but Kraft said a series of meetings came to an end without producing concrete results. Meanwhile, separate pediatricians call the care the children are receiving “malpractice.”
However, Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, acknowledged that the situation is challenging and that the government is under strain from an influx of immigrants crossing the border. The situation gained national attention after reports emerged about the unsanitary and abusive conditions in shelters housing detained young immigrants.
Editorial writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Different Takes: Alabama’s Not Alone When It Comes To Punishing Pregnant Women
Editorial writers focus on the manslaughter charges against Marshae Jones.
“We didn’t think it was possible, but it happened and we have to deal with it,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said last week after the department’s sixth suicide since January. Across the nation, more officers die by suicide than in the line of duty. Police are morely likely to suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome and depression. NYPD is adopting programs put in place by Chicago, including providing peer-to-peer counseling and additional mental health training.
ProPublica received an inside look at some postings on a secret Facebook group for 9,500 former and current Border Patrol agents. The postings reflect what “seems to be a pervasive culture of cruelty aimed at immigrants within CBP. This isn’t just a few rogue agents or ‘bad apples,'” said Daniel Martinez, a sociologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who studies the border. Customs and Border Protection said the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security would conduct an independent investigation.
