UNICEF chief: ‘Hard to fathom’ conditions of migrant children on US-Mexico border

The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) joined the growing public backlash over reportedly unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the U.S. border facilities holding migrant children.

Henrietta H. Force, UNICEF executive director, on Wednesday issued a statement expressing concern for the conditions children seeking asylum are being held in. 

“Having already faced perilous journeys, some children are now being sheltered at facilities that are not equipped to meet the needs of this vulnerable population.,” Force said. 

Reports allege children are not being given toothbrushes and soap at facilities. A Justice Department lawyer suggested at a recent hearing that those items were not needed to maintain safe and sanitary conditions. {mosads}

“It’s hard to fathom this happening in a country with such a rich history as a champion for children in need around the world, particularly for those uprooted from their homes and communities by crisis,” Force said. “By any measure, these ARE children in need – I have met them.” 

Force said she visited children and families in Central America at a shelter in Tiujana. None of them wanted to leave, but felt they had to amid the threat of gang violence and oppressive poverty, Force said. 

The “heart-rending photo” published Tuesday of a Salvadoran toddler and father drowning in Rio Grande in an attempt to cross to the U.S. “is a stark reminder of the perils facing migrants trying to reach the U.S.,” she said. 

UNICEF is working to expand access to protection and services for migrant children in the region, she said. 

But the wellbeing of migrant and refugee children is also the responsibility of countries of “origin, transit and destination,” she said. 

“No one country can do it alone,” Force said. “Addressing the root causes of forced migration and the needs of uprooted children require serious commitment, resolve and resources.”