The Biden administration is sending the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the southern U.S. border to care for unaccompanied migrant children amid a recent influx.
The Department of Homeland Security he said in a press release on Saturday, FEMA will support a 90-day effort to receive, shelter and transport unaccompanied minors crossing the border.
“I am grateful for the exceptional talent and responsiveness of the FEMA team,” the DHS secretary said. Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro MayorkasDHS grants temporary legal status to Myanmar citizens in the United States. Mayorkas torpedoes the Biden administration’s stance on asylum seekers. Biden rescinds Trump’s “public office” rule MORE he said in a statement. “Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, in accordance with legal requirements and in the best interests of the children.”
The effort comes when Biden treats a record number of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border.
CBS News reported Tuesday that more than 3,200 children are trapped in border patrol cells for migrant adults, and that nearly half have exceeded the three-day CBP deadline to be transferred to a suitable shelter.
The Administration has said it wants to take unaccompanied minors from U.S. Customs and Border Protection into the care of the Department of Health and Human Services and place them with a family member or sponsor until the case is resolved.
Mayorkas went on to say, however, that those entering the United States through “irregular channels” will be arrested and returned.
“It’s never safe to come to the United States by irregular means, and that’s particularly true during a pandemic,” Mayorkas said. “To effectively protect the health and safety of migrants and our communities from the spread of COVID-19, detainees at the border are denied entry and returned.”
The White House has faced criticism for its treatment of the influx of migrants. While President Biden
Joe Biden: Pentagon is taking heat to extend Guardian time at Capitol Booker to try to make the child tax credit expansion permanent. Sullivan says tariffs will not take center stage in talks with China MORE it has moved away from the harsh practices adopted under the old one President Trump
Donald Trump Pentagon takes heat to extend Guard time to capture Capitol funds to escape points in Trump-GOP cracks Trump rally organizer claims Alex Jones threatened to throw her off stage : report MORE, the increase in migrants, specifically unaccompanied minors, has left the administration unable to prosecute detainees and move them to a safer and healthier place. The process has been further complicated by the pandemic, with restrictions on social distancing established.
A recent CNN exposition described the detention centers, supervised by CBP, as “similar to prison cells and not intended for children.”
“We don’t want them to be at CBP’s facilities,” the White House press secretary said. Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiWhite House faces a challenge to overcome the hesitation of the GOP vaccine. Bill would block Biden from withdrawing from Cuba’s list as a state sponsor of terrorism. he said Tuesday.
“We want them to be in shelters as quickly as possible and, ultimately, in families and homes where applications can be processed. But we want to speed up the way we look after families and sponsor homes as well. “