Migrant children describe sexual assault, retaliation at another border station

Migrant children held in a border station in Yuma, Arizona, told government investigators about unsanitary, overcrowded conditions, retaliation from border agents and an alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl. [View in browser]( [Image](  JULY 9, 2019 The poor treatment of migrant children at the hands of U.S. border agents has been exposed once again, this time to include a border station in Yuma, Texas. Kids who spent time in the station repeatedly described poor conditions that go far beyond overcrowding. They reported being denied a phone call, not being offered a shower for days, sleeping on concrete or outside with only a Mylar blanket, and feeling hungry before their 9 p.m. dinnertime, a time later than children often fall asleep. [From Jacob Soboroff and Julia Ainsley’s reporting:]( A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy held in Yuma, Arizona, said he and others in his cell complained about the taste of the water and food they were given. The Customs and Border Protection agents took the mats out of their cell in retaliation, forcing them to sleep on hard concrete. A 15-year-old girl from Honduras described a large, bearded officer putting his hands inside her bra, pulling down her underwear and groping her as part of what was meant to be a routine pat down in front of other immigrants and officers. The girl said "she felt embarrassed as the officer was speaking in English to other officers and laughing" during the entire process, according to a report of her account. A 17-year-old boy from Honduras said officers would scold detained children when they would get close to a window, and would sometimes call them "puto," an offensive term in Spanish, while they were giving orders.  In a statement, a CBP spokesperson said, "U.S. Customs and Border Protection treats those in our custody with dignity and respect and provides multiple avenues to report any allegations of misconduct. ... The allegations do not align with common practice at our facilities and will be fully investigated. It’s important to note that the allegation of sexual assault is already under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General." [Multiple lawmakers have called for U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to step down]( amid outrage about a plea deal he agreed to with Jeffrey Epstein's lawyers while acting as a U.S. attorney in Florida. “I am calling on Secretary Acosta to resign,” Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “It is now impossible for anyone to have confidence in Secretary Acosta’s ability to lead the Department of Labor. If he refuses to resign, President Trump should fire him.”  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for his resignation, saying that "he engaged in an unconscionable agreement" with Jeffrey Epstein that was "kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice." She also added that the plea deal was known by President Trump when he appointed him to the cabinet.  2020 Democratic candidates are also speaking out against Acosta, including Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as former Reps. Beto O'Rourke and John Delaney.  President Trump, however, [expressed support]( for his Labor Secretary, saying that he feels "[very badly, actually](, for Secretary Acosta because I've known him as being somebody that works so hard and has done such a good job.”  Trump added that the White House will be reviewing Acosta’s handling of the case. “We're going to be looking at that and looking at it very closely,” Trump said. In Case You Missed It: Videos from MSNBC Today  [Image]( [Barr won’t recuse himself from Epstein sex trafficking prosecution]( NBC News has confirmed that while Attorney General Bill Barr recused himself from any review of the 2008 plea agreement with Epstein in Florida, he will not recuse himself from the current federal criminal case proceedings in New York. 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It's time to move to the next phase.”]( — USA Women's Soccer team co-captain and two-time World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe ([Video]() Opinion [OPINION.]( Jeffrey Epstein's prosecutors want more victims to speak out. But do they understand why sex assault victims don't? As victims of sexual assault, we are already told the right thing to do is report. We are told the police can be one of our greatest advocates in the pursuit of justice. I don’t believe law enforcement when they say they’re victim-centric, or that it’s their mission to listen to every victim who comes forward. By [Alison Turkos](, reproductive health, rights and justice activist.  [OPINION.]( Qatar is helping Iran. Trump has the leverage to force a change — but will he? In this current climate, where Iran is accused of attacking foreign oil tankers and U.S. drones and has announced it’s accelerating work on its nuclear program, Qatar must choose: It can keep its U.S. air base or its ties to Tehran. By [Gen. Charles Wald](, former commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces. What to watch Wednesday Federal prosecutors [no longer plan to put Michael Flynn on the stand]( next week — not because they don't need his testimony, but because they no longer believe he's telling the truth.  The judge who is about to sentence Michael Flynn, supposedly with consideration to how well he has been cooperating with prosecutors, is demanding an explanation for what is going on by the end of the day tomorrow.  A big week continues on The Rachel Maddow Show: Bernie Sanders Joins Rachel Maddow on Wednesday, followed by Kamala Harris on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC. This newsletter was prepped for you by Stephanie Haberman and Cameron Taylor Oakes.  Tell us what you think of the news and [drop us an e-mail.](mailto:msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com?subject=MSNBC Daily)  Have you read the [Mueller report](? 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