Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced plans to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with the flood of migrant children who have shown up at the southern border.
FEMA will “support a government-wide effort over the next 90 days to safely receive, shelter, and transfer unaccompanied children” in centers along the U.S.-Mexico border following bipartisan backlash for solo minors remaining in inadequate housing, Mayorkas announced on Saturday.
He faulted “ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty” for the unprecedented influx.
“A Border Patrol facility is no place for a child,” the DHS leader said. “We are working in partnership with HHS to address the needs of unaccompanied children, which is made only more difficult given the protocols and restrictions required to protect the public health and the health of the children themselves. Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children.”
MIGRANT CHILDREN IN US CARE FOR OVER A MONTH ON AVERAGE AS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION STRUGGLES WITH SURGE
The move follows estimates that a record 117,000 unaccompanied migrant children are set to enter the United States by the conclusion of the year. More than 3,200 minors have been moved to holding facilities, which are designed to house adults, under the watch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. More than 1,000 have remained in detention past the 72-hour limit in small concrete rooms without beds, dubbed “hieleras,” or iceboxes.
Administration officials said the migrant children are under U.S. care for an average of 37 days on Friday, and those close to President Biden admitted that they are unable to keep up with the skyrocketing demand.
“We are not in a place where we’re going to be able to meet the demand that we are seeing,” an official said. “Every day, we are bringing new beds online, but it takes a lot of time, unfortunately, in terms of our licensed care-provider network. We are aggressively adding hundreds of beds by the week to our care-provider network.”
Earlier this month, a group of Arizona Democratic lawmakers urged Biden to send FEMA to address the “humanitarian crisis” as the situation was unfolding.
“Do you believe that FEMA has the authority to provide additional resources to reduce the burden on other DHS agencies, localities, and local groups who are overwhelmed by this crisis? If so, we strongly urge you to leverage these resources,” the legislators wrote at the time.
The Biden administration has also reportedly stonewalled attempts by lawyers to visit a cramped Border Patrol tent facility, which houses over 1,000 people in Donna, Texas. Some of the children, who have been forced to sleep in close quarters with one another, have reportedly had to wait five days to shower without soap.
“It is pretty surprising that the administration talks about the importance of transparency and then won’t let the attorneys for children set eyes on where they’re staying,” attorney Leecia Welch said. “I find that very disappointing.”
Officials in Biden’s orbit have admitted the situation on the border is an “emergency” in stark contrast to previous statements made by Mayorkas, who likened the influx to a “challenge” rather than a crisis.
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Earlier in the week, CBP authorities reported more than 100,000 attempted illegal crossings for the month of February, compared to 78,000 who tried to do the same in January. Law enforcement also indicated there was a 50% uptick in drug seizures last month.
