Feds Take Action Against Southwest Key Shelters Amid Shocking Child Abuse Allegations

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Key Programs Inc., the largest operator of migrant child shelters in the nation. The lawsuit accuses the organization of allowing employees to sexually abuse children under their care.

Migrant children who enter the U.S. unaccompanied are placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). This federal agency contracts private operators, including Southwest Key, to house these children. Southwest Key, operating 29 shelters across Texas, Arizona, and California, has been the primary contractor, receiving over $3 billion from the government between 2015 and 2023.

Prosecutors allege that during this period, numerous children housed by Southwest Key were subjected to sexual abuse, assault, and harassment by the organization’s employees. The Justice Department argues that this constitutes sex-based housing discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.

In response, Southwest Key spokesperson Anais Biera Miracle conveyed via email that the complaint does not accurately reflect the care and dedication provided by their employees. “We are in constant communication and continue to closely partner with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), as we have done so for the past two decades to ensure the children and youth entrusted to our care are safe with us during their short stay with Southwest Key,” said Miracle.

Details in the complaint include numerous instances of abuse by Southwest Key staff, such as a supervisor repeatedly raping and threatening a teenage girl at a Texas shelter. Another case involves a youth care worker who admitted to sexually touching boys while transporting them between shelters. Southwest Key’s internal investigation deemed these incidents “unsubstantiated,” though a federal grand jury later indicted the worker on three counts of sexual contact with children.

The Justice Department is seeking monetary damages for the abused children, a civil penalty, and a court order mandating Southwest Key to implement measures to prevent future abuse. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized the severity of the issue: “Sexual harassment of children in residential shelters, where a child should be safe and secure, is abusive, dehumanizing and unlawful. This lawsuit seeks relief for children who have been abused and harmed, and meaningful reforms to ensure no child in these shelters is ever subjected to sexual abuse again.”