3-year-old held alone in immigration detention

WASHINGTON – A 3-year-old boy from El Salvador was held for several days at a Pennsylvania family detention center without his mother, said the mother and boy’s attorney.

The boy had been held at the Berks County Residential Center from Wednesday until Saturday when immigration lawyers interceded on his behalf. He was there alone while his 21-year-old mother, who was detained crossing the border, was hospitalized with an unknown condition. She spoke on the condition of anonymity because she feared repercussions from the detention center staff.

The Berks facility is one of three family detention centers where immigration officials detain mothers and children together. The objective is to keep the children with their parents as they await court dates or asylum hearings, but the boy was held alone under the care of the detention center staff.

“This is outrageous,” said Carol Anne Donohoe, who represents the mother and her son. “Picture a 3-year-old being detained without his mother who is in the hospital. He has no idea what that means at the age of 3.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs officials said Saturday that they needed to review the case. Authorities told Donohoe that he was under one-on-one, 24-hour care. He was safe and had time to play. But Donohoe said the child was “emotionally traumatized” and not eating, having tantrums and kicking at doors.

Donohoe filed several complaints. Immigration officials told Donohoe they were working on transferring the child to his grandmother who lives in Virginia. The grandmother picked the boy up on Saturday.

Instead of being kept in the facility, he should have been released into the care of his grandmother several days ago, Donohoe said.