Florida House Democrats in Tallahassee are demanding answers from the state Department of Children and Families over its role in handing over a foster child from Honduras to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. The boy, Henry, is a suspected undocumented immigrant.
鈥淣ot only are the events described horrific and traumatic for Henry, they will certainly erode trust between DCF and immigrant communities in Florida leading to further victimization and exploitation of the children your office is entrusted to protect,鈥� said the 20 Democratic state legislators who signed a letter to DCF.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 more, the shocking actions taken by your department appear to have been undertaken in violation of state law 鈥� a three-decade old rule still on the books which prohibits DCF workers from acting upon a child鈥檚 status,鈥� the legislators wrote.
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of Henry, writing that the Honduran 17-year-old was taken from his foster home in Pensacola on Monday 鈥渋n handcuffs and shackles 鈥� and transferred immediately into ICE custody.鈥�
DCF officials, in a statement in response to the Miami Herald, said the foster teen had previously 鈥渂een in the care of the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (U.S. ORR). The individual absconded and, due to his actions, was intercepted by Florida law enforcement.鈥�
鈥淭he Florida Department of Children and Families may provide temporary care but must work with all partners to return the individual to the appropriate legal custody, which in this case was U.S. ORR,鈥� the agency said.
An ICE spokesman told the Miami Herald it was reviewing the case.
House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, called DCF鈥檚 action 鈥渕orally reprehensible.鈥�
鈥淲ith so much in the news lately I thought it was becoming harder to shock me, until I saw this story,鈥� said Driskell in a statement. 鈥淗enry, a child in our foster care system, was turned over to ICE in handcuffs and shackles by Florida鈥檚 Department of Children and Families.鈥�
鈥淚t is morally reprehensible to try to meet deportation quotas by targeting vulnerable kids under Florida鈥檚 protection,鈥� she said. 鈥淔lorida is better than this, even if our government isn鈥檛 right now.鈥�
鈥淭his also violates longstanding law as well as common human decency,鈥� Driskell said.
Driskell said she and her colleagues want DCF to explain 鈥渋ts legal and moral reasoning for surrendering a child under their care to ICE.鈥�
鈥淭he people of Florida deserve to hear why the department abandoned its core mission of protecting vulnerable children to participate in a crackdown on immigrants that is going too far,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to know if there were more children before Henry, and if they intend to do this again.
