HHS Photographs of Conditions in Facilities Housing Unaccompanied Minors

The Department of Health and Human Services has released hundreds of photos of facilities that house unaccompanied migrant children in response to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by American Oversight. 

The photos from the HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) are from two dozen different contract facilities and show sleeping areas, recreation rooms, and kitchens. American Oversight had filed the FOIA requests following reports of abuse allegations at secure placement facilities, to shed light on the conditions immigrant children are subject to while awaiting a permanent situation.

American Oversight has identified the detention centers that likely correspond to most of the photos we have received, though some locations remain unknown and a fair amount are not identified with complete certainty. Some photos clearly display the name of the facility, or can be geolocated, and are surrounded by photos that appear to be from the same location. Thus, in the absence of certain identifiers, much of the determination of location rests on the assumption that the photos from a given facility are grouped together as they were provided by the government, and not mixed with other locations. If you have information about those photos or notice any inconsistencies, contact us at tips@americanoversight.org.

Records received May 2019

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6881752-HHS-ACF-18-0697-A.html

Records received from June 2019 to Feb. 2020

Records received Aug. 2020

In records received from June 2019 to Feb. 2020:

Pages 3–10
Location: Tornillo tent city camp in Tornillo, Texas
Determination: Very confident. Geolocated, and photos matched with other available images, including NBC News video footage. 

Pages 11–18
Location: Catholic Guardian Services Seton Residence in the Bronx, New York City
Determination: Moderately confident. There aren’t many exterior photo clues, but a sign on page 16 mentions Seton, and there are multiple New York City–specific clues.

Pages 19–43
Location: Heartland Human Care Services Casa Guadalupe in Des Plaines, Illinois (see p. 420 for more photos from Heartland Alliance in Des Plaines)
Determination: Very confident. Geolocated, and photos matched with other available images.

Pages 44–124
Location: Lutheran Social Services New LIFE School in the Bronx, New York City
Determination: Likely, but not certain. There were no useful exterior photos, but there is a sign on page 71, and some other distinguishing features like a New York City poster and matching light fixtures. 

Pages 125–230
Location: Canyon State Academy in Queen Creek, Arizona
Determination: Very confident. The signs are clearly labeled Canyon State Academy, and exterior photos matched with other available images.

Pages 231–239
Location: St. Peter-St. Joseph’s Children’s Home in San Antonio, Texas
Determination: Very confident. The cafeteria photos are a definite match, but the classrooms are less certain.

Pages 240–293
Location: Southwest Key Campbell in Campbell, Arizona
Determination: Very confident. There are multiple references in the photos to Southwest Key Campbell, and exterior photos matched with other available images. The bulletin board on page is decorated for Flag Day, so the photos could be from sometime around June 2018.

Pages 294–362
Location: Southwest Key Antigua in San Benito, Texas
Determination: Very confident. There are multiple labels saying Casa Antigua.

Pages 363–403
Location: Southwest Key Casa Franklin in El Paso, Texas
Determination: Very confident. There are multiple interior photos with location clues, and external photos match Google Street View for Casa Franklin’s location.

Pages 404–423
Location: Southwest Key Casa Montezuma in Channelview, Texas
Determination: Very confident. The exterior photos closely match the location on Google Street View.

Pages 424–436
Unknown location, most likely Southwest Key Casa Montezuma or Southwest Key Casa Rio Grande.

Pages 437–544
Location: Southwest Key Casa Rio Grande in San Benito, Texas
Determination: Very confident. Multiple forms are labeled Casa Rio Grande, and exterior photos match satellite and Google Street View.