The Trump administration says it is committed to protecting unaccompanied migrant children from trafficking and abuse. However, a new investigation has revealed that for the past three months, some migrant teenage boys have been locked inside a high-security juvenile detention facility in Pennsylvania that has a long record of physical and sexual abuse claims involving staff.
The facility, Abraxas Academy in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, is known for holding juveniles charged with or convicted of serious crimes. State inspection records show at least 15 cases since 2013 where staff were accused of physically abusing children. There have also been multiple allegations of sexual harassment and sexual abuse, with the most recent reported case in November. In a lawsuit filed in 2024, six former residents accused staff of repeated sexual abuse over nearly a decade.
Despite this history, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is overseen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., placed migrant teens in the facility. ORR is responsible for caring for unaccompanied migrant children and is required by law to house them in the least restrictive setting possible. The agency says secure detention is allowed only when children are considered a danger to themselves or others or have criminal charges.
In November, Pennsylvania authorities revoked one of the facility’s operating licenses after a staff member allegedly assaulted a child by forcing his face into a table and placing a hand on his neck. The incident was reportedly not reported to local police. While the state reduced the number of children allowed at the facility, the centre is still permitted to hold more than 100 youths under its remaining licenses.
Advocates who visited the centre say migrant boys were treated the same as convicted juveniles. According to lawyers and child welfare groups, the teens were locked in cells, counted daily, had limited phone access to family, and had restricted movement. Some of the boys reportedly had never been jailed before, while others had already completed minor sentences but were transferred into immigration custody instead of being released.
The Trump administration argues that tougher rules are needed to protect children. ORR recently ended contracts with shelters run by Southwest Keys, a nonprofit previously accused of widespread abuse, and introduced stricter vetting for adults seeking custody of migrant children. These new rules have led to children staying in government custody for an average of six months, nearly three times longer than earlier in 2025.
Child welfare experts say placing migrant children in secure jails with documented abuse records goes against long-standing federal standards. They warn that detention can harm children mentally and emotionally, especially those with disabilities or trauma histories. Past court cases have shown that migrant children were wrongly placed in similar facilities simply for being labelled disruptive or suspected of gang ties.
Despite earlier legal settlements that reduced the use of juvenile jails for migrant children, the administration is now expanding secure detention again. ORR has approved 30 beds for migrant teens at Abraxas Academy and is considering opening another secure facility in Texas.
Advocates say the situation reflects a troubling return to policies that previously led to lawsuits, public backlash, and claims of inhumane treatment. Many of the detained boys reportedly feel forgotten and stuck, separated from their families and futures, while held in a place meant for violent offenders.
Why are migrant teens being held in a juvenile jail?
The government says the teens pose safety risks or cannot be placed elsewhere, but advocates argue many do not meet the legal standard for secure detention.