Former director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement Scott Lloyd responds to The California Aggie’s editorial on DNA sampling of migrants
To the Editor:
Re: “DNA sampling of migrants is inhumane, unjust” by the Editorial Board (editorial, Oct. 25):
The Aggie Editorial Board, in its October 25 editorial, “DNA sampling of migrants is inhumane, unjust,” made the unfortunate decision to perpetuate a number of defamatory smears about me. Its editorial contains the following passage, which gets almost every factual assertion wrong:
“Yet another extreme violation of privacy includes the 28-page spreadsheet that the Trump Administration used to keep track of migrant girls’ menstrual cycles while they were in custody. The tracking was done specifically by Scott Lloyd, then-director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and infamous anti-abortion activist. Unsurprisingly, Lloyd was removed from his position when it was reported that he obstructed pregnant migrant minors from obtaining abortions.”
Not once did I, or any person on my team while I was director, create a spreadsheet to track the menstrual cycles of women in our care or use one for that purpose. I never inquired into that information and would have no use for it. I have made that clear publicly under oath, and I am stating it again here. This smear is something dreamt up by dishonest politicians and media personalities. The Aggie should not stoop to their level.
Nor is it true that I was removed from my position. The Department offered another job that I took. No one stated that I had to leave the position I occupied. Even if it was true that I was removed from my position, it could not have been because of reports that I obstructed abortions among the teens in our care. I moved months after our actions related to abortion requests, which the Department knew of at all times and defended in court, and not as an “obstruction.” Finally, I am not an activist; I am a policy attorney and a writer.
I applaud the student journalists at The Aggie for devoting their efforts to putting together a student newspaper for students by students. But do not do so just to join the echo chamber of half-assed leftist bias confirmation. Do better than that — become journalists to improve journalism. Then you will be setting yourselves on a true path to success. In all sincerity, I wish you the best in your endeavors.
SCOTT LLOYD, FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
To submit a letter to the editor, please email opinion@theaggie.org.
