A record number of unaccompanied migrant children are in Border Patrol custody and beds in shelters are scarce, raising fears of a new humanitarian crisis on the southern border.
More than 3,200 unaccompanied migrant children are housed in Customs and Border Protection detention facilities, two sources confirmed. The New York Times, citing internal CBP documents, reported for the first time that the number of children detained had “tripled in the last two weeks.”
Almost half of the children, 1,400, have been detained beyond the legal limit of three days. CBP holding cells, sometimes known as “coolers” or coolers, are not designed for children. These are usually small concrete rooms with concrete or metal benches and no beds.
Furthermore, nearly 170 of the unaccompanied children detained are under the age of 13, a source said.
Government data reviewed by NBC News shows that the total number of unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the border in February rose to about 9,000.
Many of the children who arrived at the border initially immigrated during the Trump administration, but were quickly removed under an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aimed at protecting immigrants and US residents from COVID-19.
The Biden administration reversed the policy for unaccompanied children.
As the Biden administration grapples with increased crossings, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas led a team of senior administration officials last week to tour migrant detention facilities along the border. The White House said officials intend to brief President Joe Biden on their findings.
Julissa Reynoso, the first lady’s chief of staff, was part of the delegation.
“We spoke with many of the people involved, including the children,” Reynoso said Monday. “We are trying to handle this in an orderly way but very conscious of the human cost here and in light of the fact that we are talking about children. So that’s something that we are handling.”
This story was first written by NBC News.