Largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant minors subjected kids to sexual abuse, DOJ lawsuit claims



"Multiple employees" of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied minors illegally crossing the U.S. southern border allegedly committed various forms of sexual abuse on children in their care, all while the nonprofit's leadership turned a blind eye, a new lawsuit from the Department of Justice claims.

On Thursday, the DOJ announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Southwest Key Programs Inc., claiming that by either facilitating or ignoring the abuse, the nonprofit had violated the Fair Housing Act.

Both employees also reportedly threatened to harm or even kill the children or their families if they reported the abuse. Perhaps equally as abhorrent, other staff members at the shelters allegedly knew about the attacks and failed to report them.

Southwest Key runs a total of 29 shelters for unaccompanied migrant minors, 17 in Texas, 10 in Arizona, and two in California. In all, Southwest Key can provide housing for 6,350 children.

Since at least 2015, some of the nonprofit's employees have allegedly engaged in heinous acts of sexual abuse, including "sexual contact and inappropriate touching, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for inappropriate relationships and sexual comments," the DOJ press release claimed.

Thus far, at least two such employees have been criminally charged. A male working at the Casa Franklin shelter in El Paso, Texas, allegedly touched the "private area" of three girls between ages 5 and 11. Another employee from a Southwest Key facility in Tucson, Arizona, allegedly brought an 11-year-old boy to a hotel and paid him to perform sex acts for several days.

Both employees also reportedly threatened to harm or even kill the children or their families if they reported the abuse. Perhaps equally as abhorrent, other staff members at the shelters allegedly knew about the abuse and failed to report it.

"Southwest Key took insufficient action to prevent sexual harassment of the children in its care, failed to consistently follow federal requirements for preventing, detecting and reporting abuse including sexual harassment, failed to take appropriate or sufficient action to protect the children in its care and discouraged children from disclosing sexual harassment in violation of federal requirements," the press release stated.

Southwest Key receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As of May 31, nearly 7,800 children are in the care of HHS-funded facilities, though how many of those children are in Southwest Key shelters is unclear.

The AP reached out to Southwest Key for comment, as did Blaze News. We did not receive a response.

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Illegal immigrant bites, punches security guard in vicious attack at controversial NYC shelter: Report



A security guard at Randalls Island shelter in New York City was brutally attacked by an illegal alien on Monday morning, sources told the New York Post.

The tent city shelter has become a hotbed for violent activity since it was converted into temporary makeshift housing for illegal immigrants in August.

Around 6:45 a.m. Monday, 24-year-old Oscar Adrian Al Ordonez was heard arguing with his wife inside the shelter, the Post reported. A security guard, 40, intervened in the altercation, hoping to break up the heated exchange.

Ordonez responded by abruptly punching the guard, according to sources. The aggressor also allegedly scratched the worker’s face and neck and bit his head.

The security guard defended himself, punching Ordonez in the face, the sources told the Post. They noted that the illegal immigrant was bruised and bleeding as a result of the conflict. When authorities arrived at the scene, neither Ordonez nor the guard requested medical attention.

According to the Post, Ordonez was arrested for the altercation.

Many violent incidents have broken out at Randalls Island since its opening.

Most recently, in April, a mob of five male illegal aliens residing at the shelter viciously attacked another individual while he was eating on his cot. A security guard also suffered injuries after attempting to stop the altercation. The men were charged with third-degree assault and harassment.

In February, a video posted on social media captured a massive group of unruly illegal immigrants attacking New York Police Department officers who were attempting to make an arrest at the shelter. The video showed bottles and backpacks flying through the air toward police as they struggled to handcuff and remove the individual.

A 24-year-old illegal migrant was fatally stabbed at Randall’s Island in January after he was assaulted by four other illegal aliens residing at the shelter. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) previously stated that the victim was “trapped and chased” by the group “until he collapsed.” Three of the alleged attackers were charged with first-degree manslaughter and gang assault.

"Everyone in the lunchroom was crowded together, standing on tables watching. I seen security trying to cool down this one guest, but the guest he just wasn't having it," one shelter employee told WNBC. "He ran to get something, came back and lunged at the guy. Everything happened so quickly."

Some illegal immigrants residing at Randall’s Island have stated that the shelter has divided into “camps” based on ethnicity, the Post reported. Another individual told the news outlet that “everyone has a knife.”

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Rowdy migrants scuffle with police at New York hotel shelter after employee calls 911 on 'very violent' asylum-seeker



A group of rowdy migrants got into a tussle with law enforcement officers on Tuesday at a New York hotel that is being used as a shelter for the influx of asylum-seekers, the New York Post reported.

Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, a Ramada Inn employee phoned 911 after one of the migrants residing at the hotel became "very violent."

"The guy is over here unruly," the employee told dispatchers. "He's being very violent with everybody. He's throwing stuff at everybody. We need somebody here right away."

According to police, over 130 calls have been made to the hotel in the last year, WNYW reported.

A video captured of the altercation showed Yonkers police detaining two migrants at a Ramada Inn that is housing 250 asylum-seekers. Other individuals residing at the shelter surrounded officers and blocked doors in an apparent attempt to stop the arrests, the video showed.

When police arrived at the location, they handcuffed Arnal Kent, 35. Body-camera footage captured several police officers struggling to remove Kent from the property. A woman, identified as Yainilet Hernandez, 24, was shown on video trying to stop officers from placing Kent in the back of a patrol vehicle.

As he was being arrested, Kent yelled in Spanish, "Why does he have to hit me? They're not taking me. They're not taking me. I'm not doing anything."

Law enforcement officials stated that Hernandez attempted to strike several officers during the scuffle. One officer reportedly injured his knee and had to be taken off duty, according to WNYW.

Kent was charged with menacing, disorderly conduct, and obstructing governmental administration, the Post reported. He was released without bail.

Hernandez was charged with second-degree assault, obstruction of governmental administration, and resisting arrest. She was held on $500 bail.

Yonkers police spokesman Detective Sgt. Frank DiDomizio said Thursday that the officers "responded to a call for service and reacted appropriately."

Migrants residing at the hotel claim that staff have been mistreating them.

"They abuse us. They invade our privacy and they take our money, our belongings away without our permission," Kent told WNYW.

He claimed employees were violating his rights as well as the rights of other migrants residing at the hotel.

One Venezuelan migrant at the shelter told WABC-TV, "We escaped our countries because we weren't safe; now we're not safe here."

Migrants say they have been told by hotel staff that they are entering their rooms without permission to remove unsafe appliances, such as hot pots.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano (D) said, "I'm mad at those who brought migrants to our community, but certainly we would never treat the migrants with any less dignity than they deserve."

The shelter program at the Ramada Inn is run by the New York City Department of Homeless Services and Westhab.

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‘Uptick in crime’ near controversial NYC migrant shelter prompts GOP lawmakers to demand vetting process records: Report



An “uptick in crime” near a controversial New York City migrant shelter prompted Republican lawmakers to send a letter, obtained by the New York Post, to the National Park Service demanding information about the vetting process for tenants.

House Republican Bruce Westerman, the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, and seven other GOP lawmakers penned a letter to NPS director Charles Sams stating that the House Committee on Natural Resources is examining the decision to house migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, which is located on NPS land.

The city began housing migrants at the Brooklyn airfield in November after its existing shelter system neared capacity. Many of the migrants who were part of the first busload transported to Floyd Bennett Field refused to reside at the makeshift tent city shelter, complaining that the accommodations were too remote.

The shelter, which can house up to 2,000 migrants, became a hotbed for panhandling, according to residents in the area. An increase in begging and criminal activity prompted Democratic Mayor Eric Adams to impose a curfew at some migrant shelter locations.

“Since the establishment of the migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field, local and national media have reported an uptick in crime at the migrant encampment and in the immediate neighborhood surrounding the park,” lawmakers wrote to Sams.

The letter stated that the migrant crisis has led to an increase in criminal activity in the city and nationwide.

“The widespread reports of criminality in and around the Floyd Bennett Field migrant encampment include domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution, and panhandling scams,” the lawmakers said. “The Committee is deeply concerned with the Biden administration’s management of American’s public lands, notably at Floyd Bennett Field, and the inherent safety risks to employees at the park, residents of the surrounding communities, and migrants as a result of the decision to lease national park land for a migrant encampment.”

The lawmakers noted that the lease agreement states that the New York Police Department is the “primary entity responsible for law enforcement issues” at the encampment but that the Adams administration “contracted with a private security firm.”

“[O]n at least one occasion, the private security firm has impeded NYPD officers attempting to access the camp,” the letter claimed.

Lawmakers added that migrant tenants “are not subject to a basic background search during the intake process.”

“All tenants, employees of Floyd Bennett Field, and surrounding residents deserve to know if they are living with migrants who have previous arrest records and/or convictions,” the House Republicans wrote.

The letter requested that the NPS provide lawmakers with “documents and communications” concerning the lease and the shelter’s intake process by April 11.

Lawmakers demanded evidence that shows “how NPS has cooperated, or plans to cooperate, with [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” “how the migrant tenants at Floyd Bennett Field are screened,” and “how NPS is preventing persons with a history of criminal conduct from residing at Floyd Bennett Field.”

The letter was signed by Republican Representatives Westerman from Arkansas, Paul Gosar from Arizona, and Mike Collins from Georgia. New York Republican Representatives Anthony D'Esposito, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota, Nicole Malliotakis, and Elise Stefanik also signed the correspondence.

Neither the NPS nor Adams’ office responded to a request for comment from the Post.

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Haitian migrant in US legally on Biden's 'parole' program allegedly rapes teen girl



A Haitian migrant residing in Massachusetts has been legally accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

At about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, police received a report of a sexual assault at the Comfort Inn in Rockland, Massachusetts, about 20 miles south of Boston. The hotel is currently being used as a migrant shelter.

When they arrived, they learned that Cory Alvarez, a 26-year-old Haitian national, had allegedly attacked a 15-year-old girl. Both are migrants who have been staying at the shelter, but whether the two know each other is unclear.

"The victim reviewed the photos, pointed at the defendant’s photo, and said that’s the man who raped me," said a prosecutor.

The girl was then taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Alvarez was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated rape of a child with a more than 10-year age gap. He pled not guilty to the charge on Thursday morning. He was denied bond and forced to surrender his passport pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for next week.

ICE has also reportedly lodged a detainer request for Alvarez, though Massachusetts courts have ignored such requests in the recent past. Last fall, a court in Dorchester released from custody Pierre Lucard Emile, an illegal immigrant from Haiti, even though he had been accused of raping a disabled person. He was arrested by ICE eight weeks later.

Alvarez emigrated from Haiti to the United States last June as part of the Biden administration's "parole" program. Begun in October 2022 and then expanded three months later, the program allows a total of 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to come to the United States legally each month so long as they have a sponsor and can pass "certain checks," Fox News reported. Once here, migrants can remain for two years and even gain work permits.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed that the program provides a "safe and orderly way" for migrants from these countries "to reach the United States" as part of a larger plan to control migration to America from other countries in the Western Hemisphere.

According to reports, Alvarez secured a sponsor in New Jersey and had no prior criminal record before arriving in the U.S.

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