The U.S. Department of Justice has sued a nonprofit organization for alleged sexual abuse of the unaccompanied children that it shelters after they are found at the southern border.
The nonprofit—called Southwest Key Programs Inc.—is based in Texas and claims to provide care for children who are awaiting reunification with a vetted sponsor inside the country, with safety and wellness being the highest proclaimed priorities.
Yet, the Justice Department is arguing that the organization’s employees violated the Fair Housing Act by engaging in routine sexual harassment and abuse of the unaccompanied minors sheltered under its roof.
“Southwest Key operates 29 shelters in Texas, Arizona and California, and is the largest housing provider for unaccompanied children in the United States.”
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said, “Sexual harassment of children in residential shelters, where a child should be safe and secure, is abusive, dehumanizing and unlawful.”
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, contends that between 2015 and 2023, employees at Southwest Key Programs inappropriately touched children and solicited sexual actions with them. It also alleges that employees asked for nude photos and pleaded for sexual relationships and comments from the minors.
According to a DOJ press statement, Southwest Key had been issued multiple corrective actions.
The lawsuit seeks “monetary damages to compensate the children harmed by the alleged harassment, a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination and requiring Southwest Key to take appropriate steps to prevent such harassment in the future.”
Border correspondent Ali Bradley noted that the lawsuit does not rescind Southwest Key’s current contracts, which she said total nearly $1 billion across several facilities, or bar them from new ones.
Last legislative session, State Rep. Stan Kitzman (R-Brookshire) laid out a proposal aimed to protect children housed in these types of facilities. House Bill 5000 attempted to ensure that all childcare facilities that provided care for unaccompanied minors in the country illegally were licensed by the state of Texas. However, it died in the House Calendars Committee, never receiving a vote on the House floor.
“Texas has been forced to be responsible for these children by the federal government and its associates,” Kitzman said. “Yet the same federal agencies refuse to work with state and local officials and law enforcement [and] laugh in the face of those trying to uphold legal obligations to protect these minors.”
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
