Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Womens Refugee Commission, met with a 16-year-old girl who had been taking care of a young girl for three days. The teen and others in their cage thought the girl was 2 years old.
She had to teach other kids in the cell to change her diaper, Brane said.
Brane said that after an attorney started to ask questions, agents found the girls aunt and reunited the two. It turned out that the girl was actually 4 years old. Part of the problem was that she didnt speak Spanish, but Kiche, a language indigenous to Guatemala.
She was so traumatized that she wasnt talking, Brane said. She was just curled up in a little ball.
Brane said she also saw officials at the facility scold a group of 5-year-olds for playing around in their cage, telling them to settle down. There are no toys or books.
But one boy nearby wasnt playing with the rest. According to Brane, he was quiet, clutching a piece of paper that was a photocopy of his mothers ID card.