The urgency of the Government chaired by Joe Biden to find a home for unaccompanied minors who cross the border, so that they spend as little time as possible in the custody of the Department of Health (HHS, for its acronym in English), has led to
pay travel expenses to some sponsors
who try to reach shelters to take in the children, a federal spokesman told the information website Axios.
Paying for that trip
"is a normal part of the operations
of the unaccompanied children program," the Administration for Children and Families told Axios.
But the transportation expense policy was updated on March 22,
when federal resources were also authorized to be used to pay for the transportation of some sponsors or relatives who go to shelters to pick up the little ones.
This despite the fact that the agency establishes in its policies that the sponsor is responsible for the transportation.
The arrival of migrant children continues to rise,
surpassing the 20,000 figure in April
.
During the month of March, more than 18,500 children crossed the border alone, according to Customs and Border Protection data obtained earlier this month by NBC News.
[Four reasons why the arrival of migrant children causes "a border crisis"]
The Biden Administration spends
$ 62 million
weekly
to care for unaccompanied migrants
in HHS custody, which now spends $ 775 a day for each child placed in temporary shelter, compared to the $ 290 traditionally invested under the HHS program. official refuge, according to CNN.
On video: A migrant child climbs the border fence and then jumps into US territory
April 20, 202100: 38
As of April 11, some 3,130 children remained in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), up from 5,767 on March 28, CNN noted.
The children stay more than the
72-hour
limit established
by law in custody of the CBP
, added the chain, which estimated the average time that an immigrant minor takes to be transferred to one of the reception centers in 122 hours. oversees HHS.
[Former President George W. Bush advocates more compassionate treatment of immigration in the US]
The decline in numbers is attributed to more children being
transferred to
government-
licensed shelters
.
Once in these centers, children and young people go through a process to be delivered to a sponsor, a family member or a parent in the United States.
With information from
Axios
.