Blumenthal & Robert Garcia Release Report Detailing DHS's Reckless Disregard for the Safety of Children

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released a report today detailing the scope and scale of the violence and trauma being brought upon children by the Trump Administration's immigration agenda. Drawing from publicly available information, today's report documents 128 children who have been injured, left unattended, or otherwise put at direct risk of harm as a result of operations by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel.

The report, entitled "Cruelty is the Point: How Trump's Immigration Agenda Endangers Children" comes ahead of a bicameral public forum that Blumenthal and Garcia will host to receive testimony from young people, mothers, and a school administrator about how DHS policies hurt children.

"The Trump Administration has pursued a lawless and cruel immigration agenda-brutally damaging countless children across the country," said Senator Richard Blumenthal. "Our investigation has documented the cases of 128 children who have been injured, assaulted, left unattended, or otherwise put at risk by DHS agents-clearly only a fraction of the victims. Our findings bely the Trump Administration's claim that they are targeting the 'worst of the worst' and reveal the devastating consequences of the Trump Administration's draconian policies."

"This report is clear: because of Donald Trump and Stephen Miller's horrifying immigration raids, DHS agents are injuring kids across the country, using them as bait, and tearing them away from the people who love them. The Administration must end this cruelty before it's too late. We will continue to fight for the safety and dignity of every child," said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.

A summary of the Committees' key findings is below:

• Immigration agents have inflicted physical harm on children: DHS agents have assaulted or otherwise caused direct harm to at least 28 children in the incidents the Committees reviewed, including incidents where physical attacks on children under 18 appear to have been deliberate. The Committees documented at least eight children who were placed in restraints, at least 20 children who were hit with chemical agents, at least one child who was placed in a chokehold, and at least 10 children who required medical attention as a direct result of their interaction.

• Immigration agents have put children directly at-risk during enforcement operations: The Committees reviewed reports of 53 children being put directly at-risk during enforcement operations, including 10 children who were left unattended during or in the wake of an enforcement operation, seventeen children who were put at risk due to violent and forcible entries into their homes, 11 children who were used as bait to lure non-citizen parents into arrest or detention, and eight children who were put at risk by agents smashing their car windows.

• Immigration agents acted with reckless disregard for children with medical conditions: The Committees identified at least four children with disabilities who experienced violence at the hands of immigration agents and six children with serious medical conditions who were directly impacted by DHS actions in ways that negatively impacted their access to treatment or recovery.

• Immigration agents have conducted operations in and around schools, day cares, and courthouses: The Committees identified 42 instances of ICE deploying in and around schools, school bus stops, and day care centers. These operations have had devastating consequences for children learning and being cared for at these locations that were once held as safe havens.

The full text of the Committees' report is available here. A livestream of today's forum will be available here.

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1. Immigration