>>> THERE IS A MIGRANT SHELTER
FOR UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
LOCATED NEAR EL PASO TEXAS, IN
FT. BLISS.
AND THIS OVERCROWDED FACILITY
HOUSE BETWEEN A THOUSAND AND
5,000 CHILDREN AT A TIME.
NOW, THANKS TO TWO
WHISTLE-BLOWERS, WE ARE LEARNING
ABOUT TERRIBLE CONDITIONS INSIDE
THIS SHELTER INCLUDING HUGE
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS AMONG
CHILDREN AND A LACK OF ADEQUATE
MASKS.
>> AND THERE WERE THESE TENTS
ALL OVER THESE PLACES.
THESE MASSIVE TENTS.
JUST CROWDED WITH -- WITH KIDS.
THIS WAS AN ENVIRONMENT, IN
WHICH COVID SPREAD VERY, VERY
RAPIDLY AMONGST THE KIDS AND,
ULTIMATELY, AMONGST MANY OF THE
STAFF, AS WELL.
>> WE WERE TOLD TO NOT SHARE
PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING WE
WITNESSED THERE.
WE WERE TOLD TO -- UM -- NOT BE
ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
TO -- UM -- LIMIT OUR
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE SITE
WITH CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
AND UM, TO, DEFINITELY, NOT TALK
TO THE MEDIA.
>> THE TWO PEOPLE YOU HEARD
THERE ARE THE WHISTLE-BLOWERS.
BOTH, CAREER-CIVIL SERVANTS WHO
VOLUNTEERED TO BE DETAILED TO
THE SHELTER WHEN THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION RAMPED UP
STAFFING TO ACCOMMODATE AN
INCREASE IN UNACCOMPANIED
MINORS.
THEY FILED A COMPLAINT WRITING
QUOTE AT A TOWN HALL MEETING
WITH DETAILEES, A SENIOR U.S.
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE MANAGER
WAS ASKED AND REFUSED TO SAY HOW
MANY WERE INFECTED WITH COVID
BECAUSE IF THAT GRAPH OF
INFECTIONS IS GOING TO "THE
WASHINGTON POST" EVERY DAY, ITS
THE ONLY THING THAT WELL BE
DEALING WITH AND POLITICS WILL
TAKE OVER.
PERCEPTION WILL TAKE OVER.
AND WERE ABOUT REALITY, NOT
PERCEPTION.
ALL THE MANAGER WOULD
ACKNOWLEDGE IS THAT SEVERAL
CHILDREN HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED.
JULIA AINSLEY, NBC NEWS
CORRESPONDENT COVERING
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HOMELAND
SECURITY HAS BEEN COVERING THIS
STORY.
SAT DOWN WITH THE
WHISTLE-BLOWERS.
AND NBC NEWS HAS ALSO ATTAINED
EXCLUSIVE AUDIO FROM THAT
FACILITY IN FT. BLISS.
JULIA, FIRST, JUST TO SET THE
CONTEXT HERE.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS IS THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION THAT HAD A
HUGE INFLUX OF UNACCOMPANIED
MINORS THAT WERE SPENDING WAY
TOO LONG IN CBP CUSTODY.
AND THERE WAS A CONCERTED
EFFORT, BECAUSE CBP CUSTODY IS
NO PLACE FOR KIDS OF ANY KIND,
TO MOVE THEM THROUGH THAT SYSTEM
TO CUSTODY OF HHS.
AND IN RESPONSE TO THAT, HHS
SCALED UP ITS SHELTERS AND THIS
IS ONE OF THEM, RIGHT?
>> THATS RIGHT.
I MEAN, AT THE TIME, WE THINK
BACK TO MARCH, AND PRESIDENT
BIDEN WOULD ANNOUNCE THAT
ANOTHER SHELTER WAS OPENING.
HE WAS TRYING TO GIVE THE
BIGGEST NUMBERS POSSIBLE.
HE TALKED ABOUT FT. BLISS
OPENING FOR 5,000 CHILDREN AND
POTENTIALLY BEING ABLE TO HOLD
10,000 CHILDREN OF THE THAT WAS
A WIN FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE
ABLE TO GET CHILDREN OUT OF THE
TERRIBLE CONDITIONS IN BORDER
PATROL CUSTODY WHERE THEY WERE
NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE FOR OVER 72
HOURS.
THEY HAD A BED, A PLACE TO
SLEEP.
BUT INSTEAD, WHAT IT MEANT IS
BECAUSE THESE FACILITIES HAVING
BE TO EMERGENCY-INTAKE
FACILITIES, THEY HAD TO RELY
VERY HEAVILY ON CONTRACTORS.
THEY DONT ALLOW STATE
LICENSING.
THEY DONT HAVE STATE LICENSING
WHEN THEY DO THESE
EMERGENCY-INTAKE FACILITIES.
SO THERE IS A LOT LESS
OVERSIGHT.
A LOT LESS TRANSPARENCY.
AND THAT ALLOWS THIS KIND OF
ENVIRONMENT TO FESTER,
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
THOSE BIG NUMBERS.
AND THE WHISTLE-BLOWERS WE
TALKED TO TALKED ABOUT BEDS
BEING SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT YOU
COULDNT EVEN GO THROUGH THEM.
IF YOU HAVE SEEN FROM PICTURES
WE HAVE, THESE ARE COTS STACKED
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
THEYRE NOT REAL BUNK BEDS.
IT IS THE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT
THAT WOULD MAKE COVID SPREAD
VERY QUICKLY AND IT IS ALSO THE
KIND OF ENVIRONMENT THAT, WHEN A
CHILD HAS A REAL-MEDICAL OR
MENTAL-HEALTH CONCERN, AS MANY
OF THEM DID, THEY DONT GET THAT
HELP AS QUICKLY AS THEY SHOULD.
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE, FROM THE
WHISTLE-BLOWERS, THIS IS JUST AN
OVER WELL
OVERWHELMED FACILITY.
I WANT TO READ WHAT HHS
SECRETARY JAVIER BECERRA SAID.
HE SAID OUR DUTY AT HHS, TO
PROVIDE SAFE AND APPROPRIATE
CARE FOR THE UNACCOMPANIED -- WE
TAKE ALLEGATIONS OF WRONGDOING
SERIOUSLY AND SWIFTLY.
REPORT ALLEGATIONS NOT ONLY TO
THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR --
SORRY, IM -- WE TAKE -- WE
CONSTANTLY WORK TO IMPROVE THE
CONDITIONS AND SERVICES REQUIRED
TO CARE FOR CHILDREN IN THESE
CHALLENGING SETTINGS.
I HAVE BEEN TO FT. BLISS,
INCLUDING THIS MONTH.
I HAVE INSPECTED CONDITIONS OF
FACILITY AND QUESTIONED SITE
MANAGERS.
I HAVE SPOKEN TO CHILDREN WHILE
THEY ARE IN OUR CUSTODY.
WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE SAFE,
APPROPRIATE CARE AND EVERY
EMERGENCY SITE WILL BE
INVESTIGATED.
UM, MY QUESTION, I GUESS, FOR
YOU IS WHAT -- WHAT, NOW,
HAPPENS WITH THESE COMPLAINTS?
AND ARE THERE GOING TO BE
CHANGES, AT THIS FACILITY?
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, THATS THE THING THEYRE
NOT COMMITTING TO, RIGHT?
THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT TAKING
PIECEMEAL ALLEGATIONS AND
REFERRING THEM AUTHORITIES OR REFERRING THEM TO INTERNAL
REFERRING THEM TO INTERNAL
CONTROLS THROUGH THE OFFICE OF
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.
BUT WHAT WE HAVENT HEARD,
EITHER, FROM BECERRA OR FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE IS TO DO A WHOLESALE
INVESTIGATION OF FORT BLISS AND
OTHER EMERGENCY-INTAKE
FACILITIES AND GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHY THESE CONTRACTORS GOT
THIS CONTRACT IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
THE THREE CONTRACTORS INVOLVED
HERE WHO ARE RUNNING THE
FACILITY WHEN OUR
WHISTLE-BLOWERS THERE, WHEN I
SHOULD POINT OUT WAS APRIL
THROUGH LATE JUNE, THEY HAD NO
PREVIOUS CHILDCARE EXPERIENCE.
NONE OF THEIR CONTRACTS EVER
INVOLVED TAKING CARE OF
CHILDREN.
THEY DEALT WITH MILITARY
INTELLIGENCE AND DISASTER
CLEANUP.
AND BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM,
THEY HAD $1 BILLION IN
CONTRACTS.
SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS
WE ARE TAKING ON AS
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS AND
SEEMS IT WOULD BA TIME FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION TO ALSO BE
LOOKING AT THAT WHOLESALE
APPROACH, TOO.
RATHER THAN TAKING PIECEMEAL
ALLEGATIONS AND AS YOU NOTE,
SOME OF THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE
VERY SERIOUS.
ITS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU