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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) sent a letter calling for an investigation over how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order issued on March 20, 2020 and its effect on unaccompanied children.

The letter, which was sent to the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, highlights the egregious process of rapid expulsions of migrant children in contravention of the legal protections afforded under the Flores Settlement Agreement and the bipartisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).

“Reports indicate that children, some as young as 8 months old, are being expelled. Since they are not permitted to enter the U.S. either with their parents or seek protection as an unaccompanied child, they are not given an alien number, making it is nearly impossible to track their whereabouts,” Congresswoman Escobar wrote.

“Prior to their expulsion, many children are held in hotels along the southern border, including in my district of El Paso, Texas, for days at a time and it is not clear what type of specialized training, if any, these contractors have to care for them. The House of Representatives rejected this practice when they adopted my amendment to H.R. 7617, the second minibus package, that would prohibit funds from being used to implement or enforce this CDC order,” Congresswoman Escobar continued.

Congresswoman Escobar concluded the letter by calling for an urgent investigation and stating that children “are one of the most vulnerable populations in our immigration system and cannot be denied the protection they are entitled to under the law.”

The full letter can be read here.