The U.S. Justice Department on Friday sued Southwest Key, a nonprofit that houses unaccompanied minors who cross the southern border into Texas, for sexually abusing and harassing children in its care. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against a Texas nonprofit for allegedly subjecting unaccompanied migrant children to sexual abuse and harassment.
Filed in the Western District of Texas federal court, prosecutors charged that employees with the nonprofit Southwest Key, which provides shelter for unaccompanied minors who cross the southern border into Texas, abused children from 2015 through 2023. Advertisement
“Multiple Southwest Key employees subjected children in their care to severe and pervasive sexual harassment that has included, among other things, sexual contact, inappropriate touching, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for inappropriate relationships and sexual comments,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Kristen Clark, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, called the alleged activities “abusive” and “dehumanizing.”
“Sexual abuse of children is a crisis that we can’t ignore or turn a blind eye to,” Clark said in a statement. “This lawsuit seeks relief for children who have been abused and harmed, and meaningful reforms to ensure no child in these shelters is ever subjected to sexual abuse again.”
Southwest Key runs 29 shelters for unaccompanied children in Arizona, California and Texas, housing them temporarily until they are united with family or sponsors. It runs the shelters with grants from the Health and Human Service’s Refugee Resettlement office. Advertisement
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to be paid to the children harmed by the alleged harassment, a civil penalty to clear the public interest in th shelter and a court order to bar future harassment and discrimination and requiring Southwest key to “take appropriate steps” to prevent more in the future.
“HHS has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, inappropriate sexual behavior and discrimination,” Health and Human Service Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
“HHS will continue to work with the Justice Department and oversight agencies to hold its care-giving programs like Southwest Key accountable. We will continue to closely evaluate our assignment of children into care-giving programs to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in HHS custody.”
