>> AFGHAN CHILDREN SHELTERED AT
A HEARTLAND ALLIANCE CENTER IN
BOUNDVILLE ARE EXPERIENCING
CHALLENGES INCLUDING SUICIDAL
TENDENCIES AFTER FLEEING THEIR
HOME COUNTRY DURING THE U.S.
WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN
ACCORDING TO A REPORT FROM
ProPublica ILLINOIS SAYS
SOME HEARTLAND ALLIANCE WORKERS
ARE EXPRESSING CONCERNS OVER
CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR AND THEY ARE
ILL EQUIPPED TO CARE FOR THE
CHILDREN.
JOINING TO TELL US MORE IS
MELISSA SANCHEZ, A REPORTER WITH
ProPublica WHO COVERS
IMMIGRATION AND LOW WAGE WORKER
ISSUES.
MELISSA WELCOME BACK.
AND GIVE US A SENSE WHAT YOU
LEARNED IS HAPPENING INSIDE THAT
IMMIGRATION SHELTER?
>> SO A COUPLE WEEKS AGO I
STARTED HEARING FROM WORKERS AT
THE SHELTER IN THE BRONZEVILLE
NEIGHBORHOOD THEY WERE
OVERWHELMED AND DIDN'T KNOW HOW
TO RESPOND TO A SIGNIFICANT
NUMBER OF AFGHAN EVACUEES WHO
STARTED ARRIVING TWO MONTHS AGO.
AND WHAT THEY WERE DESCRIBING
WAS SIGNIFICANT LANGUAGE AND
CULTURAL BARRIERS THAT MADE IT
HARD TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE
KIDS COMING IN WITH TRAUMA,
HARMING THEMSELVES CUTTING
THEMSELVES, WERE HURTING OTHER
KIDS, HURTING STAFF, TRYING TO
RUN AWAY.
REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATIONS,
PSYCHIATRIC ISSUES AND THE STAFF
WAS NEVER SEEN FOLKS SO
FRUSTRATED AND UNABLE TO RESPOND
THE WAY THEY WANTED TO.
PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THE KIDS
DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT.
>> AND FOR REFERENCE HOW MANY
CHILDREN ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
>> WE GOT UPDATED NUMBERS AT
THIS SHELTER THAT HEART LAND
RUNS THERE ARE 43, HARTLAND HAS
FOUR SHELTERS OPEN IN CHICAGO.
AND THEY HAVE 77 AFGHAN EVACUEES
THERE.
AND TO GET THE NATIONAL
UNDERSTANDING LIKE HEARTLAND HAS
MORE KIDS FROM AFGHANISTAN RIGHT
NOW THAN ANY OTHER SHELTER
ORGANIZATION IN THE COUNTRY A
TOTAL OF 185 TODAY.
>> AND FROM WHAT THE STAFF HAVE
TOLD YOU WHAT KIND OF TRAUMA
WHAT HAVE THE CHILDREN BEEN
THROUGH?
>> I MEAN, THE U.S. HAS JUST
PULLED OUT AFTER TWO DECADES OF
WAR THERE.
SO THERE'S PART OF THAT THE WAR
PIECE.
AND THEN AFTER THE PULLOUT YOU
HAVE THE PEOPLE TRYING TO LEAVE
AFGHANISTAN AS THE TALIBAN ARE
TAKING OVER.
AND CHILDREN SOME WITH PARENTS
SOME WITHOUT PARENTS MADE THEIR
WAY TO THE AIRPORT.
ALONG THE WAY THERE MIGHT HAVE
BEEN TALIBAN CHECKPOINTS THAT
SEPARATED CHILDREN FROM THEIR
PARENTS OR THE ADULT THEY CAME
WITH.
AT THE AIRPORT SIMILAR
SEPARATIONS AND KIDS WOUND UP
[AUDIO INTERRUPTION] KIDS WOUND
UP IN AIRPLANES WITHOUT ADULTS
OR PARENTS.
AND SOME OF THEM ENDED UP
SPENDING TIME AT A MILITARY BASE
IN GERMANY AND MADE THEIR WAY
HERE AND HERE TO THE SHELTER.
THEY'VE GONE THROUGH ALL OF THE
SEPARATION LEAVING THEIR
HOMELAND AND A LOT OF CONFUSION
ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING NEXT.
THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS
RIGHT NOW IN ADDITION TO THE
FACT THEY CAN'T COMMUNICATE
DIRECTLY WITH THE WORKERS THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO TAKE
CARE OF THEM BECAUSE NOBODY
SPEAKS THE CHILDREN'S LANGUAGES.
FOR A LOT SEPARATING FROM A
PARENT BACK HOME AND DON'T HAVE
ANYBODY HERE THEY CAN BE PLACED
WITH THERE IS A LOT OF
UNCERTAINTY AND THAT IS CAUSING
MORE ANXIETY AND STRESS.
>> HEART LAND ALLIANCE HAS
ISSUED A STATEMENT AND IT READS
IN PART...
>> MELISSA, HOW WOULD YOU SAY
THE STAFF ARE WORKING THROUGH
THIS?
AND DO THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED?
>> I THINK HEARTLAND MADE
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PAST COUPLE
OF WEEKS.
I LEARNED THAT WORKERS GOT
HAND-HELD DEVICES THAT WHEN YOU
SPEAK TO THEM IN ENGLISH, IT
WILL SHOOT OUT THE TRANSLATIONS.
THERE'S BEEN PROGRESS.
BUT SOME OF THE KIDS HAVE BEEN
THERE FOR MORE THAN TWO MONTHS.
I'M REALLY DELIGHTED THERE'S
SOME CHANGES BUT IT'S BEEN A
STRESSFUL COUPLE MONTHS FOR THE
KIDS AND STAFF.
STAFF ARE STILL OVERWHELMED.
I'M HEARING AFTER EVER SINCE THE
STORY PUBLISHED I'VE HEARD FROM
WORKERS TELLING ME MORE OF THE
SAME.
I THINK IT'S HEART LAND IS A
HARD SPOT.
I DON'T KNOW I DON'T HAVE ANY
SOLUTIONS BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT
MICHIGAN THERE IS ANOTHER
EMERGENCY SITE TAKING IN
CHILDREN FROM AFGHANISTAN
SIMILAR KIDS.
AND THE SHELTER IS DIFFERENT
THAN HEARTLAND LIKE A BIG FORMER
NURSING HOME, INSTITUTIONAL
FEELING.
THE OTHER PLACE IS MORE OF A
CAMPUS RESIDENTIAL COTTAGES AND
IMMIGRATION LAWYER TOLD ME IS
THAT EVERY SINGLE RESIDENTIAL
COTTAGE HAS AT LEAST ONE PERSON
ON-SITE WITH AN INTERPRETER WHO
SPEAKS THE LANGUAGES.
AND WHEN I TOLD THE WORKERS HERE
ABOUT THAT THEY WERE JUST SO
JEALOUS THAT WAS THE ONE THING
THEY WISHED THAT COULD BE HERE.
AND I WANT TO SAY THAT IS ON
HEARTLAND.
IT IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S
RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE CHILDREN
ARE IN THE CASE OF THE OFFICE OF
OUR FUTURE RESETTLEMENT OF THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT.
SO I THINK THE GOVERNMENT HAS
SHOWN IF THEY CAN DO THIS RIGHT
THEY CAN DO IT BETTER AS A
MICHIGAN CASE I WILL GREATS
WHERE THE LAWYERS ARE NOT
DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS THEY
ARE DEALING WITH HERE.
THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY THAT
THINGS CAN GET IMPROVED HERE.
CLEARLY THE LANGUAGE ISSUE IS
REALLY SIGNIFICANT.
>> OBVIOUSLY.
AND HEARTLAND ALLIANCE SAID THE
SHELTER IS RECRUITING THE STAFF
THAT SPEAK THE CHILDREN'S
LANGUAGES BUT THE PROCESS IS
DELAYED DUE TO VETTING AND
BACKGROUND CHECKS:
HEARTBREAKING CASE I'M SURE WILL