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Migrant children in Border Patrol custody now exceed 3,700

2021-03-12T00:43:24.903Z


The number of unaccompanied migrant children in Border Patrol custody reached more than 3,700 on Wednesday, CNN learned.


Record number of migrant children in U.S. custody 0:34

(CNN) ––

The number of unaccompanied migrant children in Border Patrol custody continues to rise: it reached more than 3,700 this Wednesday, according to CNN.

Many of the minors are housed in prison-like facilities along the US-Mexico border.

  • CNN Exclusive: Unaccompanied Migrant Children Spent More Than 100 Hours at Border Patrol Facilities, Internal Records Reveal

This Wednesday alone, the U.S. Border Patrol detained nearly 800 unaccompanied migrant children, according to the most recent count cited by a Homeland Security official.

This indicates a continued increase in children's encounters and exceeds the current daily average of 450.

The increase in the arrival of migrant children this week has attracted much attention and there are ongoing meetings "at the highest level," the official said.

He also predicted that it will be an ongoing problem until the Biden administration finds a way to prevent minors from reaching the border.

"It will be very difficult to stop this," said the official.

And the fact is that the figures have shot up compared to last week.

During that period, the Border Patrol detained nearly 340 children who crossed the border between the United States and Mexico on a daily basis.

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Unaccompanied migrant minors flood ICE shelters 2:48

The government struggles to house migrant children as President Joe Biden's approach to immigration faces a critical initial test.

The president took office promising to reverse what he described as cruel policies implemented by now-former President Donald Trump during his administration.

Measures that made it difficult for people fleeing poverty and violence to reach the United States.

Now, Biden works to strike a complex balance.

On the one hand, promoting a more humane approach to immigration.

And, at the same time, send the message to potential migrants who do not undertake their journey to the United States.

The border crisis peaked in 2019, when there were overcrowded facilities and children sleeping on the ground.

At that time, approximately 2,600 unaccompanied children were registered in Border Patrol custody.

This according to what a former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official previously told CNN.

  • "We detain more children than we can free": Biden's government fights to house migrant children who cross alone

Government officials are struggling to find shelters for the children.

But while they do so, minors remain in Border Patrol custody for extended periods.

In fact, the average is more than four days.

More than 100 children have been in custody for about 10 days, CNN learned.

A week ago, the average time was 77 hours.

Under normal conditions, after being in Border Patrol custody, unaccompanied children must be delivered within 72 hours to the Department of Health and Human Services.

This entity is in charge of the care of migrant children, except in exceptional circumstances.

Border facilities are "absolutely" overcrowded, the Department of Homeland Security official said.

This Wednesday, CBP had excess capacity in 7 of the 9 Border Patrol sectors, the official said.

He also added that Yuma, the Rio Grande Valley and Del Rio had "serious overcapacity."

HRW: It is urgent to reunify separated migrants at the border 2:00

The covid-19 pandemic has further limited the space available for migrants in custody.

"I don't remember the last time I saw that high number," the official said of Wednesday's figures.

This in reference to the statistics of a single day during the last months.

On Wednesday, CBP announced that it had encountered just over 100,000 migrants along the US-Mexico border in February.

A number that reaches levels not seen since 2019.

"(We continue) to struggle with the number of people in our custody, especially due to the pandemic," Troy Miller, a senior official who serves as the CBP commissioner, said during a news conference Wednesday.

The border agency works with the Department of Health to remove the children from custody as quickly as possible, Miller said.

"We need to get them out faster," he acknowledged.

Border Patrol United States Mexico Migrant children Border Patrol

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-03-12

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