Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How The Department Of Homeland Security Found Itself At The Heart Of Deep Moral Dilemmas
On the last day of March, Kirstjen Nielsen set off for what was supposed to be a weeklong trip to Europe with a packed itinerary. In London, she would meet with British officials on counterterrorism matters, then travel on to Stockholm to discuss election security with her Swedish counterparts and finally head to Paris, where she would represent the United States at a meeting of Group of 7 interior ministers. These are some of the far-flung obligations of the secretary of homeland security, who bears responsibility for not only thwarting terrorist attacks and preventing foreign interference in American elections but also cleaning up after hurricanes and ensuring that the United States doesn鈥檛 cede control of the Arctic to Russia and China. (Zengerle, 7/16)
Sixty-two U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees and eight former employees have come under investigation for possible misconduct for their alleged participation in a secret Facebook group, where members shared racist and sexist memes, cracked jokes about migrant deaths and made derogatory remarks about Latina members of Congress. (Hauslohner, 7/15)
On Monday, officials for the first time provided details of the recently launched federal investigation into the 9,500-member group, known as 鈥淚鈥檓 10-15,鈥 the code used by Border Patrol for migrants in custody. The probe was spurred by a ProPublica report that revealed the existence of the group and its vulgar posts, including an illustration of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being sexually assaulted by President Trump. Other posts mocked migrants who drowned in the Rio Grande. (O'Toole, 7/15)
The leader of the nation鈥檚 largest provider of migrant shelters for children was paid $3.6 million during the charity鈥檚 most recent tax year, even as the nonprofit organization came under intense scrutiny for its high compensation packages for executives and for its decision to accept children separated from their families by the Trump administration. Juan Sanchez, the chief executive of Southwest Key Programs, received that income, which included life insurance and retirement benefits, between September 2017 and August 2018. (Barker, Kulish and Ruiz, 7/15)
The record number of families entering the U.S. and requesting asylum has overloaded a border enforcement system not designed to safely and quickly process them. Here is a step-by-step look at the process families go through and where the system is straining. (Wang, Caldwell and Wang, 7/16)
Dr. Sally Goza of Fayetteville, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Monday that the visit by herself and other pediatricians underscored the organization鈥檚 position that the Border Patrol facilities are not a good place for children, and that kids should be there for as short a time as possible. (Miller, 7/15)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro and a group of fellow Democrats toured a facility that holds migrant youth in southern Florida on Monday and said they are both dissatisfied with conditions at the center and information they received about the children鈥檚 care. DeLauro , D-3rd District, said the lawmakers left the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children with questions about the standard of care at the center and about how long it takes for children to be placed with family in the United States. (Radelat, 7/15)