The Department of Justice has taken legal action against Southwest Key Programs Inc., accusing the Texas non-profit organization of a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse of children in its shelters.
Southwest Key operates a number of shelters for unaccompanied migrant children in various states, such as Texas, Arizona, and California.
The organization operates multiple shelters across different locations, including Brownsville, San Benito, Weslaco, McAllen, and Los Fresnos.
The Justice Department has lodged a complaint against the company, alleging that several employees have subjected the children under their care to “repeated and unwelcome sexual abuse” between 2015 and 2023.
The complaint alleges that employees engaged in inappropriate behavior, such as sexual abuse, solicitation of sex acts, and other sexually inappropriate actions. It also mentions instances of leering, inappropriate touching, and comments of a sexual nature.
The document mentioned that the children included a wide range of ages, from young children to teenagers.
The Department of Justice has found that Southwest Key did not take adequate measures to prevent instances of sexual harassment. Additionally, they failed to comply with federal regulations regarding the reporting of abuse and even discouraged children from coming forward about incidents of sexual harassment.
In an unfortunate incident that took place in 2022, a Southwest Key youth care worker allegedly subjected three young girls, aged 5, 8, and 11, to repeated sexual abuse at Casa Franklin in El Paso.
In May 2022, there was another incident at Casa Oasis in McAllen where a youth care worker allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with boys during transport. According to the document, the care worker made an inappropriate attempt to touch another boy while transporting him at Casa El Presidente in Brownsville.
During this incident, authorities reported that the worker accompanied the child to the bathroom and attempted to exchange phone numbers.
There is a report that details a case involving a care worker who was involved in a long-term relationship with a teenager at a Casa Padre in Brownsville. This incident occurred in both 2019 and 2020. According to the complaint, several employees were aware of the relationship, but neglected to report it.
A care worker assisted multiple children in escaping from the shelter, and soon after the incident came to light, it was revealed that the teenager involved in the situation also fled.