Current:Home > NewsU.S. reopening facility near southern border to house unaccompanied migrant children-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
U.S. reopening facility near southern border to house unaccompanied migrant children
View Date:2024-12-23 21:20:42
Washington — The Biden administration is planning to reopen a site near the border with Mexico to house migrant children who enter the country without their parents as the federal government struggles to accommodate an increase in migration there, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter told CBS News Thursday.
The site, a former work camp in Carrizo Springs, Texas, could start housing unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody as early as Friday, the U.S. officials said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. While the same location was used in 2021 to house migrant teenagers, it will include additional facilities and higher standards of care this time around.
It will be the second time in less than two months that the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, has reopened a so-called "influx care facility" for unaccompanied children, who have been crossing the U.S. southern border in larger numbers in recent weeks. Last month, HHS restarted housing migrant children at another former work camp for oil workers in Pecos, Texas, that was at the center of reports of poor conditions in 2021.
Under federal law, U.S. border officials must transfer unaccompanied children who are not from Mexico to HHS within 72 hours of processing them. HHS is bound by law to take care of them until they reach legal age, or until they can be placed with a sponsor in the U.S., who is generally a relative.
Historically, HHS has housed migrant children in shelters licensed by state child welfare authorities. But over the past several years, amid spikes in border crossings under Republican and Democratic administrations, the department has turned to "influx care facilities" and other sites to house migrant children in locations with more capacity. Unlike traditional shelters, influx sites are not licensed by states to house minors.
Starting this summer, the number of migrant children crossing the U.S. southern border increased sharply, amid a broader spike in migrant arrivals that has strained federal, state and local resources, including in large cities like New York and Chicago.
HHS received more than 12,000 migrant children in September and 13,000 in August, compared to around 9,400 in July, according to internal HHS data obtained by CBS News. As of Thursday morning, HHS was housing 10,960 unaccompanied minors, a 75% increase from early July, when it had around 6,000 migrant children in its custody, federal figures show.
Record numbers of migrant children have crossed the U.S. southern border over the past two years, creating significant logistical and humanitarian challenges to the Biden administration. In fiscal year 2022, HHS received a record 128,904 unaccompanied minors, up from 122,731 in the prior year, agency statistics show. The vast majority of these children have hailed from northern Central America.
Soon after Mr. Biden took office in Jan. 2021, child migration spiked, leading to dangerous overcrowding in the small number of Border Patrol facilities designed to temporarily hold migrant children and families. In response, the administration set up makeshift shelters in convention centers, military bases and work camps, including the Dimmit Emergency Intake Site, the location of the facility set to open this week.
While the emergency shelters reduced overcrowding in border facilities, some of them quickly became the subject of allegations, including from internal whistleblowers, that described substandard living conditions, inadequate services and emotional distress among the children there.
At a tent complex inside the Fort Bliss Army base in west Texas, concerns about the mental health of migrant children housed there were so distressing that officials constantly monitored them for escape attempts and panic attacks. The children were also prohibited from having toothbrushes or other ordinary items that they could potentially use to harm themselves.
Children in HHS custody are not detained in jail-like detention centers or cells. While there are some more restrictive facilities for troubled youth, most unaccompanied children in HHS care are housed in shelters that provide educational, recreational, medical and mental health services.
Camilo Montoya-GalvezCamilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.
TwitterveryGood! (85)
Related
- Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
- Bengals sign former Pro Bowl tackle Trent Brown to one-year deal
- Washington's cherry trees burst into peak bloom, crowds flock to see famous blossoms
- Federal Reserve may signal fewer interest rate cuts in 2024 after strong inflation reports
- Diamond Sports Group can emerge out of bankruptcy after having reorganization plan approved
- Barack Obama releases NCAA March Madness 2024 brackets: See the former president's picks
- Why This Photo of Paul Mescal and Ayo Edebiri Has the Internet Buzzing
- Powerball winning numbers for March 18, 2024 drawing: Jackpot rises to $687 million
- South Carolina to take a break from executions for the holidays
- Joann files for bankruptcy amid consumer pullback, but plans to keep stores open
Ranking
- See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
- Dr. Dre says he had 3 strokes while in hospital for brain aneurysm: Makes you appreciate being alive
- Shakira Reveals If a Jar of Jam Really Led to Gerard Piqué Breakup
- Gardening bloomed during the pandemic. Garden centers hope would-be green thumbs stay interested
- West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
- Key questions as Trump hurtles toward deadline to pay $454 million fraud penalty
- The Fed is meeting this week. Here's what experts are saying about the odds of a rate cut.
- Gangs unleash new attacks on upscale areas in Haiti’s capital, with at least a dozen killed nearby
Recommendation
-
Prosecutor failed to show that Musk’s $1M-a-day sweepstakes was an illegal lottery, judge says
-
EPA bans asbestos, finally slamming the door on carcinogen that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year
-
Remains of WWII soldier from Alabama accounted for 8 decades after German officer handed over his ID tags
-
The history of Irish emigration, and the pride of the Emerald Isle
-
South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
-
Arizona lawmaker resigns after report of sexual misconduct allegation in college
-
As electric vehicle sales slow, US relaxes plans for stricter auto emissions standards for a while
-
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas Fail to Reach Divorce Settlement