The Department of Justice has dropped a civil rights lawsuit against the national nonprofit Southwest Key Programs, which operated shelters for unaccompanied migrant children. This decision came after the Department of Health and Human Services stopped placing children in Southwest Key shelters and initiated a review of its grants with the organization. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. praised the action as a step towards ending the abuse of migrant children. Southwest Key denied allegations of sexual abuse in its shelters and stated that there was no settlement or payment required. However, the organization is furloughing 5,000 program employees due to a federal funding freeze.
The Justice Department had filed a lawsuit in 2024 alleging a pattern of severe sexual harassment and abuse in Southwest Key shelters dating back to at least 2015. Despite Southwest Key denying the claims, the Justice Department and Southwest Key submitted a joint motion for dismissal, which was accepted by the court.
Following the dismissal, the National Center for Youth Law sought to intervene in the case to keep it alive, expressing concerns that children housed in Southwest Key shelters may be denied recourse for the harms they suffered. The center also wrote a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley urging him to call on the Justice Department to explain the decision to drop the lawsuit. Grassley’s office has contacted the Justice Department for clarification. The abrupt reversal by the Justice Department has raised questions about accountability in upholding the rule of law and protecting vulnerable children.
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