Family says 3-year-old immigrant girl was allegedly sexually abused while in federal custody
FILE-Immigrants wait to be transported and processed by U.S. Border Patrol officers at the U.S.-Mexico border on May 12, 2023 in El Paso, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
A family alleges that a 3-year-old immigrant girl was sexually abused at a foster home where she was placed after immigration officials separated her from her mother.
According to the Associated Press, the young girl was in federal custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her mom.
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The child’s father tried to reunite with his daughter months after she was placed in foster care, but the government informed him it couldn’t arrange an appointment to take his fingerprints.
In 2025, the Trump administration started targeting detained immigrant children, when it instituted new rules and policies, which followed an increase in detention times.
What occurred in the alleged incident with the girl?
The backstory:
The Associated Press obtained court documents that stated the girl said she was sexually abused by an older child staying with her in foster care in Harlingen, Texas.
According to the lawsuit, a caregiver noticed the girl’s underwear was on backward. She then told the caregiver she was abused multiple times, and it caused bleeding.
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Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement officials explained to the father that there was an "accident," and his daughter would be examined, he told the AP in an interview.
According to the AP, the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, were named in the girl’s lawsuit.
What they're saying:
"I asked them, ‘What happened? I want to know. I’m her father. I want to know what’s going on,’ and they just told me that they couldn’t give me more information, that it was under investigation," the father told The Associated Press.
Citing the lawsuit, the AP reported that the girl had a forensic exam and interview. The father wasn't informed of the outcome, the older child accused of the abuse was removed from that foster program.
Additionally, these abuse allegations were then reported to local authorities, Lauren Fisher Flores, the lawyer representing the girl, told the AP.
Trump administration changes release policies
Dig deeper:
The girl and her mother illegally crossed the border near El Paso on Sept. 16 of last year. When her mother was charged with making false statements, and they were separated, the toddler was sent to the custody of the ORR, which cares for immigrant children in shelter or foster settings.
Children in ORR's care are released to parents or sponsors who submit to a rigorous process that has grown more extensive under the Trump administration.
According to the Associated Press, stricter rules were enforced on documentation required for sponsors. Border agents started pressuring unaccompanied children to self-deport before transferring them to shelters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement began arresting some sponsors during the release process.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites a lawyer for the girl and court documents from a lawsuit obtained by the AP. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.