PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Senator Rick Scott says he and Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna saw what it's like inside this Safety Harbor shelter for unaccompanied migrant children. Scott said the kids staying here appear to be well taken care of.
"I didn't see anything that would lead you to believe anything has ever gone wrong in that facility. But a child died," said Senator Scott.
That child was a 17-year-old unaccompanied boy from Honduras. Officials say he died Wednesday after being found unconscious and taken to a hospital. Scott says while he did tour the shelter operated by Jewish Family and Community Services, he did not get any specific answers about what caused the child's death.
"They got to be transparent. They got to tell us exactly what happened. Once at that point, we hope it never happens again. You don't prevent things from happening again if you don't get good information. I don't know why we can't better information," said Senator Scott.
The shelter is funded by the Federal Government's Heath and Human Services Department and is no longer licensed by the state after a rule change by the Desantis Administration.
The teen's death comes as Republicans slam Senator the Biden administration's immigration policy.
His mother told the Associated Press her son "wanted to live the American Dream," After he crossed the border, he told her "not to worry because he was in the best hands."
HHS says they are investigating the boy's death.
They currently have more than 8600 unaccompanied migrant children in custody across the US.
