The Associated Press has released a video showing a 12-year-old girl speaking to a lawyer about her and her 6-year-old sister’s experience at the Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, which has been called a “child jail.” The two young girls were taken to the facility after being separated from their aunt when they arrived in the U.S. in May. The Clint Border Patrol station recently came under intense scrutiny after reports of widespread neglect and inhumane living conditions, including lack of food, water, sanitation and medical care. This is an excerpt from the AP’s video.
12-year-old girl: “They gave us little food. Some children did not bathe. They didn’t bathe them. They treated us badly where we were. They were mean to us.”
Alison Griffith: “And where did you sleep? Did you sleep on beds?”
12-year-old girl: “They slept on just the floor.”
Alison Griffith: “Did they give you blankets or not?”
12-year-old girl: “They would only give us one blanket.”
Alison Griffith: “And was it enough to withstand the cold?”
12-year-old girl: “No. Some children were sick. They said that they’d take them to hospitals, but they wouldn’t take them.”
The young girl also told the lawyer that children would cry out for their parents and other separated family members.