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SAINT ANTHONY – (Editor’s note: This story was updated on Thursday, April 8. For the latest reports on this KSAT.com story, click here.)
Gov. Greg Abbott called on the federal government to close a facility that accommodates migrant children at Freeman College in San Antonio after reports of abuse and staff shortages were received Wednesday morning.
Abbott said the complaints are “credible” and were filed with the Texas Commission on Human and Health Services and the Texas Department of Protection and Family Services. He declined to provide details about the tipster, but said they came from at least one or more people who have been inside the facility.
Complaints include sexual assault, lack of staff, not being fed enough food, and that COVID-positive children are not isolated from others.
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The governor said Texas Rangers would immediately begin investigating the cases. It is unclear how many children were allegedly abused.
“This facility is a safety and health nightmare,” Abbott said. “The Biden Administration should close this facility immediately.”
“The Biden administration opened the borders and did not plan for the influx of unaccompanied children crossing the border, and we now face our worst fears: allegations of child abuse and neglect,” Abbott said. “I ask the Biden administration to close this facility and direct the DPS and Texas Rangers to immediately begin investigating these allegations. President Biden’s disastrous decisions caused this crisis and his administration must act now to protect these children, secure the border and end this crisis. “
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that it could not comment on specific cases, but “has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior.”
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In a statement, a DFPS spokeswoman confirmed that the agency received the allegations.
“The Department of Protection and Family Services (DFPS) today received three separate reports alleging abuse and neglect at the Freeman Coliseum, which currently accommodates unaccompanied minors. As this facility is not authorized by the state, we do not have the jurisdiction to investigate, but the information we received has been shared with DPS, ”the statement said.
Pct of the county of Bexar. 1 Commissioner Rebecca Clay-Flores, who has visited the facility frequently, said the allegations are political in nature and amount to “fake news”.
“They are fed three meals a day plus two snacks,” he said. “The conditions are sanitary and good.”
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued a statement saying, “These allegations about the federal operation are disturbing if they are true and a thorough investigation is warranted.”
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U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who has toured four similar facilities for migrants in Texas, called for a federal investigation into the matter.
“The unaccompanied children arriving at our border have already suffered dangerous conditions at home and a treacherous journey to get here,” Cornyn said in a statement. “The fact that any child is being abused by the US government is despicable. The HHS inspector general must fully investigate these allegations and the treatment of children at this facility. “
The press conference took place outside Freeman College, which houses 1,370 boys ages 13 to 17 as an emergency admission site for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Expo Center, located next to the AT&T Center, where the San Antonio Spurs play, has a potential internal capacity of 2,100 beds and an external capacity of 300 medical beds.
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Upon arrival, children receive medical tests and any follow-up care necessary for injuries or illnesses they had when they arrived, officials have previously reported.
Following Abbott’s announcement, White House regional spokesman Ike Hajinazrian issued the following statement following the allegations:
“The Biden Administration takes the safety and well-being of the children in its care very seriously. We do not currently see any basis for Governor Abbott’s call to close the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio as a place of admission, but his claims will be examined and investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Abbott has been very critical of the Biden Administration’s handling of the influx of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the administration refuses to secure the border, which to say that it caused a sharp increase in illegal border crossings. See the data here.
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