In a statement provided to ABC News on Wednesday, Southwest Key said it disagreed with some of the OIG findings, and quickly addressed others. It said in recent months it’s embedded “dozens of new quality assurance staff in local regions and increased program leadership on the ground level to ensure we consistently deliver high quality care to all the youth in our shelters.”
“It’s important to note this review occurred more than two years ago and is not a reflection of who we are today,” the company said in a statement.
The inspections were at facilities in Arizona, Texas and California in 2017, a year when border crossings had decreased and these types of shelters were not overwhelmed. It wasn’t until early 2019 that migration levels rose dramatically, overwhelming the U.S. capacity to care for the kids.
The allegations comes as lawmakers like Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings have blasted the administration’s handling of migrant children and contend the government does a better job tracking objects belonging to undocumented migrants than tracking and caring for children.
“How do you say to a 2-year-old, we can’t find your mother but we can find her keys?” Cummings said last month at a hearing.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
