© Provided by Washington Examiner Over 1,000 unaccompanied children have been detained for longer than the legal limit as migrants flood the southern border and overwhelm enforcement agencies.
More than 3,200 children have been moved to holding facilities, which are designed to house adults, under the watch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to NBC News. Of the sum, 1,400 have remained in custody past the 72-hour limit in small concrete rooms without beds, dubbed "hieleras," or iceboxes.
Approximately 170 of the detained children are under the age of 13.
The Biden administration has been grappling with a border crisis as officials anticipate that 117,000 children will arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian in 2021, according to a White House Domestic Policy Council document, Axios reported on Tuesday. The massive number dwarfs previous highs in 2014 and 2019, when 68,000 and 80,000 solo children made their way into the United States, respectively.
REPUBLICANS PRESSURE DEMOCRATS TO HOLD OVERSIGHT HEARINGS ON BIDEN'S RESPONSE TO BORDER CRISIS
Roughly 20,000 migrants were encountered by border authorities each week in February, and while some adults can be immediately returned, children may not always be readily released to families.
Authorities with knowledge of the matter have pointed to two factors for the surge. First, a recent Mexican law bars families with children who are seven and older from being returned to Mexico if border enforcement is unable to house them. Second, President Biden in January halted the practice of shipping back Central American unaccompanied minors in a move that undid former President Donald Trump's policy during the final year of his administration.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in response to the rush of migrants, is set to abandon its 50% capacity limit on child care facilities and will opt to let the buildings fill to 100%.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas likened the rush to a "challenge" rather than a crisis in a briefing last week, but border officials say otherwise.
"A crisis is looming, if not already here," said Ron Vitiello, former deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. "In practical terms, when stations and shelters are not adequate for the detained population or the UACs, you're in crisis. Thousands a night are pouring in."
READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER BY CLICKING HERE
Customs and Border Protection and the White House did not immediately return requests for comment.
Tags: News, Joe Biden, Biden Administration, Customs and Border Protection, White House, Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security, Migrants, Border, Border Security
Original Author: Jake Dima
Original Location: Over 1,000 migrant children held beyond legal detention limit as border surge worsens