In a complaint, a 15-year-old migrant girl from Honduras said that a U.S. border agent put his hands inside her bra, pulled down her underwear, and groped her in front of other officers and immigrants, during what was supposed to be a routine pat-down.
The allegation, first reported by NBC News, is under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. The teenage girl said “she felt embarrassed as the officer was speaking in English to other officers and laughing,” according to the incident report.
The alleged assault happened at a Yuma, Arizona, facility, which there have been allegations of unsanitary and crowded conditions in addition to misconduct and abuse. Children have said they were scared of officers at the center because they would react with anger to requests. A child said he wore the same underwear for 10 days because he was afraid to ask for a clean pair.
View the complete July 10 article by Casey Quinlan article on the ThinkProgress website here.