Part One of Two
Over the past several weeks, I have found myself struggling with an issue concerning the well-being of the children who have illegally come here from Honduras, Guatemala and elsewhere. While I know that not all who are here illegally are children, the focus of this article is specifically about the children.
Also, I want to point out that I am opposed to anyone entering this country illegally and that those who come here illegally, with few exceptions, must be returned to their own country.
Having said that, my specific issue, which I will elaborate more on in a moment, became more of a concern to me after listening to Glenn Beck Monday morning talk about his weekend trip down to McAllen, Texas.
Beck and his crew, along with several U.S. Senators, like Ted Cruz and Louie Gohmert, visited the center where the illegal immigrants are being housed.
Beck began his monologue with some disturbing descriptions about where and how these children are being housed. He indicated that it is reminiscent of WWII Internment camps.Becks
He then went on to describe a horrific story that had been relayed to him by Senator Ted Cruz about a 15 year old quadriplegic boy who had been abandoned by the drug cartel before reaching the center where the children are staying.
Beck said that the temperature, on the day he and his crew visited McAllen, Texas, was approximately 110 degrees. He added that this teenaged boy would have surely died under those conditions had he not been rescued because he lacked water and a way to provide for himself.
Beck also revealed that what is going on where the children are being housed is, “Damn near crimes against humanity. We are crushing these children.”
Beck further described these “detention centers” as being able to house approximately 200 to 400 people maximum, yet, he said there were approximately “2500 children” being housed at the center in McAllen, Texas. Beck went on to say that the detention centers were like the “Superdome of Katrina.” Clearly, being housed in a location that is over capacity presents a potential health and safety hazard for these children.6-fema-seal
Additionally, Beck also described the process that FEMA utilizes in caring for these children. Beck reported that the children were initially segregated by age. According to Beck, this meant that families were separated if they were of different ages. Siblings were torn apart from each other for at least a week before being reunited. During their separation, Beck said, “No one can touch or hug the kids.” Also, during this time, he said, “No one from religious organizations are allowed in.”
After being reunited, according to Beck, these children are then “put on a bus, dropped off at a greyhound bus depot and told not to talk to anyone.”
Having heard Beck’s descriptions of how these children are being ‘cared for’ by the federal government, my concern is the treatment of these children while in the care of the United States.
The question then becomes, are these children being abused by the federal government?
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) website, Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworkers investigate reports of child abuse or neglect to determine whether any child in the reported family has been abused or neglected. They are also required to determine if there are any threats to the safety of all children in the home. If CPS concludes that children aren’t safe, then the caseworker starts protective services.
Based upon what I heard Beck say Monday, on both his radio show and afternoon show, there appears to be enough evidence to, at the very least, require CPS to investigate the conditions under which these children are living.
Some may argue that this is not a situation for CPS because these children are not American citizens and therefore, CPS is not accountable to protect them. Others may state that this is not a typical ‘home’ environment to which CPS generally responds and therefore, does not fall under their jurisdiction.
Still others may claim that their parents are not here and/or that this is the U.S. Federal Government and not a parent/child situation that can or should be investigated by CPS.
My response to all of the possible arguments would be that these are still minor children in our country who need protection and that regardless of who may possibly be abusing them, there should be an investigation.
We know from reports in the media, and even from Beck’s statements today, that people are not being allowed in to see the conditions these children are living under. This is an even bigger red flag to me that indicates some type of abuse may be occurring and being concealed from the public eye.
If CPS doesn’t have the authority to investigate the federal government, then are we saying that we will give the federal government a pass and not protect children? If not CPS, then some agency like CPS must be required to investigate reports of possible abuse.
If the federal government will not allow an investigation, then we have a much bigger problem on our hands. If we do nothing about it, then we are saying that we are okay with allowing children to possibly be abused by our government.
Additionally, anyone in the state of Texas who is a mandated reporter that heard Beck’s report today, is legally obligated to file a report with the Texas DFPS alleging child abuse. This would also include anyone in Beck’s entourage that is a mandated reporter, such as an attorney, who heard Beck make these statements.
Even assuming, no mandated reporter comes forward to do their duty, if anyone at DFPS heard the same report by Beck then they are obligated to investigate without receiving a report, in my opinion.
We the people must demand of our government that they obey the laws. If we turn a blind eye to what may be happening, either because we don’t want to get involved or because we are angry that these children were allowed to come here illegally in the first place, then we cannot complain about a corrupt government.
We must not allow child abuse in our country, period! Demand that CPS investigate the living conditions of children to ensure that they are not being neglected or emotionally abused. Enough of the secrecy that may be hiding the mistreatment of children while on American soil.
We as Americans need to work to resolve issues instead of waiting for our government to take the appropriate actions. Call the DFPS hotline or contact them via the Internet and ask them to investigate the abuse that may be happening to these children in McAllen, Texas.
Part Two of Two
In my ever increasing efforts to assist the average American in coming up with solutions on their own for the current border crisis, I wrote an earlier article entitled, “A Forgotten Issue about the Border Crisis?”
Part 2 of that article is to help delineate some of the specifics that many may be thinking about or discussing among friends, family, or leaders in their community after reading the original article.
Specifically, Part 2 will deal with questions of cost, who will bear those costs, and who will have accountability for the solution that I am proposing.
Child Protective Services (CPS) in Texas, if like most governmental agencies, derives its income from several sources, including the federal government and other local county and state funding.
Initially, if CPS were to perform its intended function, in investigating allegations of child abuse at the center where these immigrant children are being housed, the state of Texas, as well as the federal government would be held financially responsible for conducting the investigation.
Of course, taking on more financial responsibility for the federal government’s debacle is not what any state wants to do but it is exactly what every state is facing and will face in the future because of the government’s agenda.
This includes the cost for the actions Texas Governor Rick Perry took yesterday in placing 1,000 National Guard members in McAllen, Texas to defend the border. Texas will be absorbing the cost of this into their state budget unless they attempt to recoup their losses from the federal government.
The same is true with any undertaking that CPS may pursue in their investigation. Initially, the cost will come out of their state budget which will include monies that they receive from federal funding.
If CPS concludes that the immigrant children are not safe then they will be obligated to remove them from the facility. The children would then most likely be housed in facilities run by CPS, placed in the care of relatives, or placed in foster care where state and federal funds would continue to be used to care for these children while they await possible deportation.illegal immigrant children
Some may think this is counterintuitive to ultimately sending the children back to their native countries. However, the children are not currently being sent back but rather are being taken to bus stations where they are released and ultimately placed in potentially more dangerous situations with strangers, coyotes, or other nefarious people who will mostly likely prey on them.
For example, just today, it was learned that a man in San Francisco allegedly posed as a police officer so that he could rape Central American Immigrants by forcing them to perform sexual acts under threat of deportation. This is yet another reason why CPS needs to be involved in the oversight of these children and the government needs to be held accountable for placing them in harm’s way.
At least if these children are temporarily placed in CPS facilities, foster care, or with relatives, the cost to American taxpayers could potentially be reduced and the children’s safety would be maximized.
Private donors, such as Glenn Beck’s Mercury One, for example, could give private donations to foster care parents or even to CPS facilities to possibly off-set the cost that the states and federal government sources are required to pay.
Also, while no CPS system is completely fail proof in protecting children’s welfare, at least there would be some oversight taking place that seemingly isn’t occurring presently.
In addition, CPS investigations could potentially bring to light hidden government corruption that may be occurring in secret away from the public’s view.
Finally, having CPS step in could circumvent a burgeoning U.N. attempt to label these children as refugees and possibly take up their cause.
In the event the federal government would refuse to allow CPS to investigate allegations of abuse at their facility, then the American public would know there is a major problem that needs immediate action.
If CPS refuses to do their job for fear of losing federal funding then the American public would also realize that they are looking at a system that is entirely broken.
If either event should occur, then It will be up to Congress, and/or special prosecutors, to take action to protect the American public. So far, to date, since no one has been allowed in to the facility to check on the welfare of these children, the American public remains in the dark.
We as Americans need to stop accepting explanations (or the lack thereof) from the federal government and start taking a more active role in exposing possible lawlessness.
Most of the mainstream media stopped doing its job years ago to protect the American public from potentially destructive and underhanded occurrences. No longer do we have a partner in guarding our best interests.
However, together we, as Americans, can offer solutions that we have previously forfeited by sitting around idly waiting for someone else, namely the government, to do it for us.
Neither the immigrant children’s well-being nor the American public’s welfare seem to be priority for this government. We as citizens need to unite and utilize our existing system of government to secure our borders and protect our U.S. Sovereignty.
Please join me!
——-GB——-
Susan Calloway Knowles, is a licensed California psychotherapist, former practicing California attorney, author, and political/cultural blogger.
Her website is SusanKnowles.com. Susan’s book, a political fiction, is entitled Freedom’s Fight: A Call to Remember and is available on Amazon. Susan can be reached by email at Susan@SusanKnowles.com.
© 2014, Susan Knowles. The Logo, Articles, and Photos (by Susan Knowles) are protected by U.S. Copyright Laws, and are not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Susan J. Knowles. Copyright 2014 Susan J. Knowles All Rights Reserved.
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