Children in U.S. Immigration Detention Protected by Save the Children

As president and CEO of iPoint Capital Partners, Hilt Tatum IV directs private equity and venture capital investments for a firm with an international presence extending across Europe, South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Also concerned for the welfare of vulnerable young people throughout the world, Hilt Tatum IV supports the work of the nonprofit organization Save the Children. As many as 90,000 children escaping violence in Central America and Mexico are estimated to cross the U.S. border in 2014 and, for those detained in overwhelmed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities, the donations of Hilt Tatum and other contributors help Save the Children provide medical care, nutritious meals, emotional support, and structured play for these displaced children.

Because these children have endured a long journey through harsh conditions, many of them are in need of urgent nutritional and medical care to treat dehydration, diarrhea, and other illnesses. Save the Children is acquiring oral rehydration drinks and medicine to address the crisis, as well as recruiting pediatricians qualified to evaluate and treat youth detained in immigration control centers. 

Those with distressed garments receive new clothes from Save the Children, and the organization has implemented its Child-Friendly Spaces program within CBP holding facilities. Child-Friendly Spaces help children recovering from a crisis to cope by creating a protected area where they can play and socialize with peers under the supervision of a trained caregiver.

To further guarantee that the needs of these children are not neglected and that conditions at detainment centers are quickly improved, Save the Children’s senior director for U.S. emergencies is advising the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on measures to be taken. At the sites where children are first processed, Save the Children has proposed the assignment of monitors trained in child protection. Additionally, Save the Children is seeking authorization to train FEMA and CBP staff in child protection and establish its Journey of Hope emotional support program at holding facilities.