A 3-year-old girl was allegedly sexually abused multiple times while held for more than five months in a federal shelter for migrant children, even as her father — a lawful permanent resident of the United States — repeatedly sought her release, according to her immigration attorney.
Lauren Fisher Flores, an attorney with the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, told ABC News that the child, referred to by the pseudonym “Lily,” was placed in an Office of Refugee Resettlement shelter after being separated from her mother upon their arrival at the southern border on September 16, 2025.
The child’s father submitted sponsorship paperwork immediately, yet delays caused by systemic issues extended the process over five months, highlighting failures in timely reunification that should concern legal professionals and the public.
The child’s alleged sexual abuse by an older child at the Hands of Healing foster home highlights systemic failures, as the father was initially told it was an “accident” and only learned details months later, illustrating delays in addressing abuse allegations.
The father and daughter have since been reunited, Flores confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that oversees ORR, did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
The case highlights ongoing legal and political scrutiny over the federal government’s handling of migrant children, urging policymakers and advocates to confront systemic issues that prolong detention and harm children.
Federal data shows the average length of care for migrant children in ORR custody surged to 195 days by February 2026, up from 27-33 days between 2021-2024, underscoring systemic delays in reunification.
Flores said the prolonged confinement is causing significant harm, with children showing increased depression, anxiety, and self-harm, which should concern policymakers and advocates committed to child welfare.
“This has changed her life. It’s changed her family’s life,” Flores told ABC News of the 3-year-old. “And it’s really hard to see it happening.”
The allegations also arrive amid broader concerns about conditions inside federal immigration facilities. Deaths at ICE detention centers have risen during the second Trump term, according to ABC News reporting, and federal inspectors have documented dozens of safety violations at the nation’s largest ICE detention facility.
Federal law mandates ORR to place migrant children in the least restrictive, most appropriate setting, but systemic failures have led to prolonged detention and inadequate protections, violating policies meant to safeguard children’s dignity and safety.
For the family of the child known as Lily, those protections came too late.
ABC News first reported the allegations on April 6, 2026. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment. The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project represents the family. Democracy Forward v. HHS, filed December 2025, is pending in federal court.
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Source: ABC News
