Photo credit: QKED
There have been allegations of systemic sexual abuse of unaccompanied migrant children by staff of a private contractor for the US government.
UCANews reports that Catholic immigration and anti-trafficking advocates are gravely concerned over the allegations against Southwest Key Programs based in Austin, Texas.
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit organization that provides housing for unaccompanied minors as well as services for youth, families and job seekers.
Operating 29 shelters in Texas, Arizona, and California, Southwest Key is the largest provider for unaccompanied children in the US. Between fiscal years 2015 and 2023, it received over $3 billion from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee. The children remain at the shelters until they can be reunited with their families or vetted sponsors.
The DOJ is alleging that Southwest Key violated the Fair Housing Act by permitting employees to engage in systemic sexual abuse and harassment of more than 100 unaccompanied children in the nonprofit’s care. The incidents in the suit are alleged to have occurred between 2013 and 2023. According to the complaint, they involve “multiple Southwest Key employees,” including supervisors.
The DOJ even noted in its complaint that “Southwest Key’s own documents report numerous examples of sexual abuse and harassment of children by employees.”
To nail Southwest Key’s coffin, the DOJ said in the filing that the organization failed to prevent and to take sufficient action against such abuse “despite ORR having issued multiple corrective actions to Southwest Key.”
