A record number of unaccompanied migrant children are in Border Patrol custody and shelter beds are scarce, raising fears of a new humanitarian crisis at the southern border.
More than 3,200 unaccompanied migrant children are being housed in Customs and Border Protection holding facilities, two sources confirmed to NBC News. The New York Times, citing internal CBP documents, first reported that the number of detained children “tripled in the last two weeks.”
Nearly half of the children — 1,400 — have been held beyond the three-day legal limit. The CBP holding cells, sometimes known as “hieleras” or iceboxes, are not designed for kids. They are typically small concrete rooms with concrete or metal benches and no beds.
Additionally, nearly 170 of the detained unaccompanied children are younger than 13, according to a source familiar.
Government data reviewed by NBC News shows the overall number of unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the U.S. border in February spiked to roughly 9,000.
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Many of the children arriving at the border initially immigrated under the Trump administration but were quickly expelled from the U.S. under a CDC order meant to protect immigrants and Americans from Covid-19. The Biden administration reversed that policy for unaccompanied children.
As the Biden administration grapples with the surge in crossings, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week led a team of senior administration officials to tour migrant holding facilities along the border. The White House says the officials intend to brief the president on their findings.
Julissa Reynoso, who serves as chief of staff to the first lady, was part of the delegation.
“We did speak to many of the folks involved, including children,” Reynoso said Monday. “We’re trying to manage this in an orderly fashion but very mindful of the human cost here, and in light of the fact that we are talking about kids. So that is something that we are managing.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
