Facility for migrant children extends offer letters on the spot amid rapid expansion
By Graham Kates
/ CBS News
Miami — A federal facility for unaccompanied migrant children in Homestead, Florida, is set to nearly double in size and is rushing to bring on hundreds of new employees.
The Homestead facility's mid-January expansion was announced by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 26, the same day the agency disclosed that a larger temporary facility in Tornillo, Texas, would soon close. That facility is not yet shuttered, but it now houses fewer children than the one in Homestead.
At a job fair in a small Holiday Inn Express conference room in Miami on Thursday, a steady stream of candidates were asked to wait in rows of seats before being directed to laptops where they filled out applications. They sought jobs ranging from case worker to travel chaperone.
Representatives of Comprehensive Health Services (CHS), the company that it paid by HHS to manage the facility, stood by with a stack of "contingent job offer" letters.
A Facebook post advertising the event states, "We will be extending offer letters on site to qualified applicants!"
The letter indicates the offers are dependent on successful drug and background screenings.
Employees at the Homestead facility must undergo the FBI's fingerprint criminal history check, but the federal government has granted a waiver allowing the facility to bypass Florida's child abuse and neglect background check system, according to HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Mark Weber. The waiver was granted to Virginia-based CHS because companies that are not regulated by the state's child welfare and foster care authorities are not allowed to access its Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System database.
In an email to CBS News, Weber said "the FBI fingerprint background checks conducted on employees would show relevant information."
However, FBI checks would not surface what state policy refers to as "verified maltreatment findings" that are not necessarily prosecuted but are logged in the system because "a preponderance of credible evidence exists to support the allegations of abuse, neglect or abandonment."
That means there could be important information in potential employees' pasts that CHS is missing, according to Stacie Schmerling, a Partner at Talenfeld Law, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based firm that specializes in child abuse cases.
"The FBI search won't have the same information as the (state child abuse and neglect) database," Schmerling said. "This is a facility for unaccompanied children, so you'd want to approach it like foster care, where you try to gather as much information as possible about someone's history."
In June, CBS News reported that because Homestead and the Tornillo facility are on federal land, they are not subject to the stringent child welfare inspections required for all other shelters for unaccompanied children, which are on state land.
CHS, and all employers across the country, also cannot access the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify platform, which checks eligibility to work in the United States.
Homestead Contingent Job Offer by Graham Kates on Scribd
The facility is expanding amid the partial government shutdown. In its "contingent job offer" letter, CHS indicates that the shutdown may have affected human resources staffing.
"Due to the temporary government shutdown, we have limited personnel available to assist with your on boarding," the letter states.
Asked about the letter's onboarding claim, an HHS representative referred CBS News to CHS. A spokesperson for CHS' parent corporation, Caliburn International, did not return a request for comment.
The shutdown does not appear to be slowing the rate at which new staffers are being hired. An employee of the Homestead facility, who asked not to be identified, told CBS News applicants were being hired on the spot at the job fair — as promised in the company's Facebook flyer. The employee complained that new employees were being hired for supervisory positions, instead of those with seniority.
"They're hiring so many people with no experience. Some are getting jobs better than me," the employee said.
Caliburn did not reply to a question about the experience levels sought for youth care workers, case managers, clinical counselors, educational instructors, drivers, and travel chaperones at the facility.
Caliburn has also repeatedly declined to speak with CBS News about the Homestead facility's rapid expansion. According to HHS, the facility currently employs 1,600 people while holding 1,250 children. It ultimately will fit 2,350 children, and will have to staff up to meet that need. The site is required to have no more than 12 children for every one adult supervisor, 24 hours a day, according to HHS, plus security, medical, case management and operations personnel at all times.
It is not clear how much Caliburn is paid to operate the facility, but the revenue is not without risk, according to an October 9 SEC filing.
"In the past, we have received negative publicity for this work with (HHS), and it is possible that we may be subject to such negative publicity in the future as well," the company wrote. "Allegations of impropriety or reports mischaracterizing our activities or criticism of the missions that we are supporting have the potential to cause us reputational harm."
It was a concern echoed by the employee who spoke with CBS News.
"The kids are treated good in there. It's not like the media portrays it. We treat them well," he said.
First published on January 11, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBSNews.com.
Facility for migrant kids extends offer letters on the spot amid rapid expansion
Hundreds are needed to staff a Homestead, Florida, shelter that is rapidly expanding
updated 9M ago 
Neighbor recounts Jayme Closs' words after her escape
Neighbors of suspect Jake Thomas Patterson said Jayme Closs didn't know where she was after escaping his cabin
updated 34M ago 
Rescued girl was target in abduction that left parents dead, police say
Jayme Closs found alive after disappearing the day her parents were murdered in October
updated 38M ago 
Painkillers for pets may be adding to opioid epidemic
First-of-its-kind study looks at risks from the increase in opioid prescriptions for pets
updated 42M ago 
Shutdown means Fed has no idea how GDP is doing
Trump promised 3% GDP growth in his tenure, but the agency that tracks that key economic number is shut down
updated 46M ago 
Sunday: Pompeo, Castro, McCarthy, Johnson
Mike Pompeo, Julián Castro, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and Jeh Johnson to appear Sunday on “Face the Nation”
updated 3M ago
Facility for migrant kids extends offer letters on the spot amid rapid expansion
Hundreds are needed to staff a Homestead, Florida, shelter that is rapidly expanding
updated 9M ago
Shutdown means Fed has no idea how GDP is doing
Trump promised 3% GDP growth in his tenure, but the agency that tracks that key economic number is shut down
updated 46M ago 
CBS News announces 2020 campaign digital journalists
The network presents its 2020 presidential campaign digital journalists and associate producers
1H ago 
Shutdown pinches small businesses across U.S.
Fewer tips, construction delays, product-approval hold-ups — all mean less local spending by Uncle Sam
updated 52M ago
Facility for migrant kids extends offer letters on the spot amid rapid expansion
Hundreds are needed to staff a Homestead, Florida, shelter that is rapidly expanding
updated 9M ago 
Tributes pour in after tearful Andy Murray announces retirement
"The pain is too much, really, and I don't want to continue playing that way," the tennis champion said at a press conference
2H ago 
U.S. lawyers "paying attention" as female Saudi activist due in court
Human rights activist Israa al-Ghomgham could be the 1st woman ever sentenced to death for nonviolent protest in Saudi Arabia
3H ago 
Poland arrests Chinese businessman on spy charges
Internal Security Agency detains 1 Polish along with man reported to be an executive of telecom giant Huawei
8H ago 
U.S. Syria withdrawal officially underway, expected to take 3-4 months
Small convoy reportedly pulls out amid confusion over Trump administration's plans, and intense pressure from Turkey
7H ago 
Woodstock founder reveals plans for 50th anniversary festival
Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang has announced an anniversary concert to celebrate "3 Days of Peace & Music" – but it won't be the only one
1H ago 
Behind the scenes: Making of "Hamilton" in Puerto Rico
The performances are part of a three-week run to raise money and awareness for the U.S. territory after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017
4H ago 
"Criminal Minds" ending after season 15
"A moment of silence please," one fan tweeted after hearing the news
5H ago 
Lin-Manuel Miranda: Puerto Rico needs "debt forgiveness" to recover
The "Hamilton" creator said the storm-battered island needs more investment from Congress
4H ago 
Lin-Manuel Miranda's 8th grade teacher brings him to tears
"Dr. Herbert's the reason I'm sitting here talking to you," star of "Hamilton" says
7H ago 
SpaceX launches final set of Iridium satellites
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off with a final set of 10 Iridium NEXT communications satellites
updated 14M ago 
Lawmakers demand answers from data providers over sale of location data
A report finds T-Mobile and other providers sold data to third parties
22H ago 
Emissions rise despite support for green energy
Most Americans say they support renewable energy, but what will it take to get there?
22H ago 
Senator wants law that could jail tech execs for tracking users' location
The proposal comes as the makers of the Weather Channel app are accused of marketing the locations of its users without their knowledge
Jan 10 
101-year-old inventor has plan to battle climate change
Charlie Bliss and his 81-year-old business partner are known as the thermodynamics duo
Jan 9 
Painkillers for pets may be adding to opioid epidemic
First-of-its-kind study looks at risks from the increase in opioid prescriptions for pets
updated 42M ago 
Want to prevent deadly diseases? Eat more fiber, study says
A new report shows that lots of grains, vegetables and fruit lowers your risk of dying early from heart disease, cancer, and other deadly diseases
4H ago 
More than 6 million have gotten flu so far this season
The CDC has released its first estimates for this year's flu season
3H ago 
Norovirus outbreak sickens hundreds on cruise ship
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is returning to a Florida port a day early after guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of norovirus
9H ago 
Starbucks to install needle-disposal boxes in some bathrooms
Move follows complaints by workers worried about potential health risks of cleaning up after drug users
Jan 10 
Shutdown means Fed has no idea how GDP is doing
Trump promised 3% GDP growth in his tenure, but the agency that tracks that key economic number is shut down
updated 46M ago
Shutdown pinches small businesses across U.S.
Fewer tips, construction delays, product-approval hold-ups — all mean less local spending by Uncle Sam
updated 52M ago 
Shutdown could hit federal workers' credit scores
Federal workers are scrimping to avoid being dinged by lenders for missing payments and damaging their credit scores
1H ago 
A third winning week in row for U.S. stocks
Investors have been buoyed this week by signs of a U.S.-China thaw and a dovish turn by the Federal Reserve
updated 18M ago 
A “do-over” chance for Medicare open enrollment
You have until March 31 to change your choice of Medicare Advantage plan or switch to original Medicare
8H ago 
Neighbor recounts Jayme Closs' words after her escape
Neighbors of suspect Jake Thomas Patterson said Jayme Closs didn't know where she was after escaping his cabin
updated 34M ago
Rescued girl was target in abduction that left parents dead, police say
Jayme Closs found alive after disappearing the day her parents were murdered in October
updated 38M ago
Jayme Closs: "48 Hours" special to focus on the disappearance and return of Wisconsin girl
A look inside the Closs case, the extraordinary stories of other children found, and the the heartache of families with children still missing
1H ago 
"Baby's turning blue!": 911 call reveals moments vegetative patient gives birth
A patient at a long-term care facility gave birth in December, even though she had been in a vegetative state for a decade
2H ago 
Jayme Closs kidnap suspect concealed his identity, police say
Alleged captor of 13-year-old Jayme Closs identified as 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson
updated 58M ago
