President Trump and top immigration officials contested reports that migrant children were being held in horrific conditions in federal detention facilities. The administration argued that the government was enforcing oversight standards as it struggled to care for an influx of migrants, the New York Times reports. Accounts of disease, hunger and overcrowding have spread, but Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of homeland security, and Kenneth Cuccinelli II, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, maintained that the facilities were safe.
Asked by ABC News about a report by The New York Times and The El Paso Times in which Border Patrol agents and others who had visited a facility in Clint, Tx., described crying children, cases of chickenpox, scabies and shingles, and inadequate medical care, McAleenan dismissed the details as “unsubstantiated.” He said there is “adequate food, water,” adding, “I’m not denying that there are challenging situations at the border.” President Donald Trump called the report about the Clint facility a “hoax.” The Times said stood by the article, saying, “We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting on the U.S. Border Patrol’s detention centers.” the statement said. McAleenan and Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, have been called to testify this week before the House Oversight and Reform Committee to discuss the concerns.