Concern grows over migrant children staying in Kansas, and lawmakers want answers

State legislators and child welfare attorneys say they're worried about the welfare of migrant children staying in Kansas and question how long they will be separated from their families.

Democratic leaders have asked for a tour of the Topeka nonprofit where the children were sent, but said they were told that would have to wait.

At a Friday morning news conference, they said officials at The Villages — which serves troubled and neglected youth — told them gaining access could take up to two weeks.

"This is about the children," said House Democratic Leader Jim Ward, of Wichita. "These are children that have already been traumatized significantly by being ripped from their parents' arms and moved hundreds and hundreds of miles and put in places they are unfamiliar with."

By late Friday, the Kansas Department for Children and Families issued a statement saying the children at The Villages "seem to be adjusting well." A licensing staff member for DCF had gone to the facility earlier in the day to make sure that the children were being being cared for and safe. DCF licenses the Topeka facility.

"Additionally, this afternoon, Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel reached out to the executive director of The Villages to discuss the well-being of the children and the program in general," the DCF statement read. "And (she) was satisfied that they are being provided excellent service in their time of need."

Lawmakers first learned that migrant children separated from their parents at the border were staying in Kansas through an editorial this week in The Star. The separation was part of President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" crackdown on illegal immigration that includes the prosecution of all adults who are apprehended crossing illegally.

Lori Burns-Bucklew, a Kansas City attorney and accredited child welfare law specialist, said more must be known about what happens next with these children.

"What are their plans to get these kids reunited with their families?" Burns-Bucklew said. "How long do they think it's going to take? ... I hope they are hiring lawyers who are experienced in representing children."

More than 2,300 children have been separated from their families at the Mexico-U.S. border since early May, causing an increased need for government-provided care. Of that total, 500 have been reunited with their families.

The Villages, a Topeka nonprofit, already housed minors who crossed the border and were unaccompanied. It has refused to confirm or deny that children who were separated from their families are now at the facility.

In fiscal year 2017, The Villages received $2.6 million in funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement through its Unaccompanied Alien Children Program. And this fiscal year it has already received $3.2 million.

Joseph Wittrock, president of The Villages, confirmed it has a contract with the federal government to house 50 "unaccompanied children" ages 6-18, according to an Associated Press report.

According to The Villages website, the organization is currently searching for bilingual candidates for employment who are proficient in English and Spanish.

On Friday, the Democrats called on Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer to provide information about the children at the facility and noted The Villages was licensed by the state of Kansas.

But it's unclear how much power, if any, Colyer and the state have over the placements. The migrant children at The Villages arrive via the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Later Friday, Colyer issued a statement saying that DCF would inspect The Villages to make sure it "remains in line with state standards and procedures." More than two hours later, DCF announced an inspection had been done.

Trump issued an executive order this week intending to end the separation of parents and children. Presumably, that means the Topeka facility will not receive any more children who have been separated from their families.

Rep. John Alcala, a Topeka Democrat, said the issue is not whether the state has authority, but about transparency.

"I'll tell you right now, who gives a shit what the state's authority is?" Alcala said at the news conference. "Are those kids being cared for, and how's the money being spent?"

Burns-Bucklew said she knows from experience the help these children will need. And the sooner they are reunited with family the better, she said.

"It's traumatic when kids are taken away from their parents in their own city and put into foster care," Burns-Bucklew said. "The way these children were ripped away from their parents, I can only imagine what they are going through."

Villages director Sylvia Crawford said in an email that she wouldn't comment on the circumstances of unaccompanied children at the facility. Responding to the Democrats' request to tour the facility, she said they must go through the Office of Refugee Resettlement approval process.

Once approved, "we are happy to host any visitors to our program," she said. "... We are proud of our facilities and the level of care we provide for all children in our programs."

This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 1:38 PM with the headline "Concern grows over migrant children staying in Kansas, and lawmakers want answers."