US Announces Opening of New Facility for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Texas

By Julia Ainsley and Alicia Victoria Lozano - NBC News

WASHINGTON - The Administration of President Joe Biden announced Saturday the opening of a new

temporary stay facility

for unaccompanied immigrant children in Pecos, Texas.

The facility, called Target Lodge Pecos North ICF, will initially house about 500 children, but has the capacity

to hold up to 2,000

, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement. 

[The Government will contact the families of migrant children alone to speed up their reception]

The installation will be "rigid walls" and not tents, although capacity can be increased with "semi-permanent and soft-sided" structures if necessary, the note adds.

It was not immediately specified when

this space

will be opened

to young migrants.

[Follow all our coverage on immigration]

Unaccompanied immigrant minors intercepted by the Border Patrol in Texas after crossing from Mexico await the actions of the agents.

REUTERS / REUTERS

Minors housed in those facilities will receive "educational, medical, mental health and recreational services until they can bond with their families or patrons without undue delay," according to HHS.

"We are working vigorously with our interagency partners to ensure that unaccompanied migrant children are safe and are reunited with their family members or other appropriate sponsors as quickly and safely as possible," HHS said. 

["We couldn't breathe": a mother and her daughter cross Mexico in a truck]

Immigration officials have seen a dramatic increase in border crossings by unaccompanied children over the past month.

As of Saturday, there were

5,049 unaccompanied minors

(out of a total of 9,830 immigrants of all ages) in Border Patrol custody. 

This figure increased since Thursday, when 4,615 unaccompanied children were reported out of a total of 7,970 immigrants in that situation. 

Honduran immigrant who comes to meet her son begs not to be deported

March 20, 202102: 01

As of Thursday, more than 500 migrant children turned out to have spent more than 10 days in the custody of border agents,

when the limit is three days

.

Many border facilities not prepared to house children have far exceeded their capacity, according to new data obtained by NBC News, Telemundo's sister network.

Many of the children are detained in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, the epicenter of the recent surge in migration to the southern US border. Immigrants of all ages face overcrowded conditions.

One of the main causes of this is the

lack of space in the facilities

managed by the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, the agency designated to care for migrant children.

Immigration officials said that while this office has worked to increase its capacity to nearly 13,500 beds,

"additional capacity is urgently needed"

 both to "adhere to anti-COVID-19 health protocols" and to "manage the growing number." unaccompanied children and adolescents in need of care.

Ainsley reported from Washington and Lozano from Los Angeles.