Migrant mothers and their children in misery after expulsion from the US 3:33
(CNN) ––
More than 60 Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called on the Biden administration to end reliance on shelters that serve unaccompanied immigrant minors, according to a letter shared with CNN.
Some Democrats have criticized the use of these facilities, which lack a state license and have come under scrutiny in the past.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will often resort to the use of these facilities when the network of shelters it oversees is insufficient to house a growing number of migrant children at the border.
Washington State Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal led lawmakers with the support of local, state, and national organizations to emphasize the need for safe processing for migrant minors who cross the U.S.-Mexico border alone and, to turn, demand changes.
“In many cases they have fled to the United States in search of humanitarian aid due to extreme violence, sexual abuse and other dangers in their countries of origin.
The well-being of unaccompanied minors, and often their lives, depend on the treatment they receive from the United States government, ”the letter says.
The Border Patrol has detained more unaccompanied immigrant minors so far in March than in all of February, preliminary data shows.
The letter is addressed to the secretaries of HSS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as the heads of the relevant federal agencies.
Signing legislators include representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib from Michigan, and Veronica Escobar and Joaquin Castro from Texas.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has relied on pop-up shelters, including one located in Carrizo Springs, Texas, to cater for the large number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the southern US border.
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The number of migrant minors increases
In March, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained a record number of unaccompanied minors with 18,890 in March - almost double the number in February - according to the latest data from the agency.
This number is expected to increase.
While lawmakers acknowledge in their letter the challenges facing the Biden administration, they emphasize the importance of reforming the system that has been under stress this year.
"Broadly speaking, now is the time for the administration to undertake systematic border reform for the reception and shelter of unaccompanied minors, a reform that would eliminate any need for shelters in the future," states the letter, which describes a number of of policies that should be adopted, if they have not already done so.
Changes to the shelter system
The policies mentioned in the letter include limiting the duration of a minor's stay in a shelter to 20 days to ensure that the minor has access to in-person visits and legal service providers, as well as the creation of an Ombudsman's Office. , “That can act as guarantor”, in addition to the periodic face-to-face monitoring visits.
The Biden administration is spending at least $ 62 million a week to serve unaccompanied migrant minors in HHS custody, according to government data.
The daily cost for each child is more than double that of the department's already established shelter program –– roughly $ 775 per day, compared to nearly $ 290 per day –– according to figures shared with CNN.
HHS noted that the need to create shelters and hire staff for a short period of time are among the reasons why temporary shelters are more expensive.
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