A center for minor migrants recently reopened in Texas under the leadership of the Biden administration, provoking the ire of some elected Democrats including MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, revealed our American colleagues from the
Washington Post on
Tuesday February 23.
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Texas infrastructure, opened one month in the summer of 2019 under the Trump era, has been brought back into service with the aim of accommodating up to 700 minors aged 13 to 17.
The number of unaccompanied migrants has exploded in recent weeks, leading to a total of 5,700 arrests at the border during the month of January 2021. According to the Biden administration, existing facilities are nearly full, due to the epidemic of Covid-19 and imposed barrier gestures.
"
Against what Biden had promised
"
These camps are considered by their detractors as "
cages for children
".
This latest reopening has thus aroused the anger of human rights defenders.
"
It's unnecessary, expensive and it goes totally against what President Biden had promised
," responded to the
Washington Post
Linda Branmiller, a lawyer specializing in immigration law, who represents minors not -accompanied.
"
It's a step backwards, a huge step backwards
".
Amnesty International USA also reacted, explaining that “
a federal agency is not a parent.
Children need a home (...) and should not be held in this type of establishment for more than 72 hours
”.
The move was also criticized by leading Democratic left-wing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who wrote on Twitter: "
It's not acceptable, it never has been, it never will be - regardless of the administration or political party.
"
Joe Biden's government justifies this reopening because of the Covid-19 epidemic, which has halved the reception capacities of establishments for minor migrants.
The White House, through its spokesperson Jen Psaki, has proposed a "
temporary reopening during the epidemic.
Our intention is not to replicate the anti-immigration policies of the previous administration - it is to
(
eventually)
close this facility, but we want to ensure that we follow anti-Covid protocols (...) We obviously we cannot place a child in each bed
”.
And to hammer: "
These are not children kept in cages (...) And we are not going to expel children who arrive at the border.
"
A few dozen migrants have already been moved to this facility, located in Carrizo Springs, Texas.
According to Jen Psaki, "
the objective is to allow these unaccompanied minors to be transferred to foster families
".
During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden had promised to defeat certain anti-immigration policies of Donald Trump.
Several decrees have been signed in this direction, including the end of the “
Muslim ban
”.
