New internal documents from the Department of Health and Human Services show how quickly the number of migrant children crossing the border overwhelms the administration’s stretched resources.
Leading the news: In the week ending March 1, the Border Patrol referred to HHS custody an average of 321 children a day, according to documents obtained by Axios. This exceeds the weekly average of 203 in late January and early February, and only 47 per day during the first week of January.
- The same documents, dated Tuesday, say that the reception system occupies 94% and is expected to reach its maximum this month.
Meanwhile, some of President Biden’s senior officials Immigration policy makers plan a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border this weekend, sources told Axios.
- The influx of unaccompanied minors is a proliferating problem for the new president and his social and welfare policy agencies.
- “A trip is not over and the White House continues to work on blocking details and logistics for a possible visit,” White House spokesman Vedant Patel told Axios.
- DHS and HHS spokespersons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Behind the scenes: HHS has already moved to open overflow shelters and increase the speed with which it releases children to caregivers who are already in the US
- In the week ending March 1, an average of 174 children were released each day from HHS custody. According to the 90-week average, in late January and early February.
- However, the number of migrants detained for more than three days in the custody of the border patrol has increased almost daily, according to additional documents reviewed by Axios.
- Children and teenagers trapped across the border without legal guardians are detained at the border patrol facility for more than three days, for an average of 77 hours, CNN first reported.
The big picture: This week, DHS Secretary Alexander Mayorkas insisted that the current situation is not yet a crisis. Regardless, it is clear that the number of children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border can quickly overwhelm government systems, similar to the 2014 and 2019 crises.
- The rise comes as the administration continues to use a public health emergency order to quickly deport migrant adults and some families, including asylum seekers.
- At the same time, the Biden has reversed the Trump administration’s policy of using the public health order to quickly remove unaccompanied children.
- The source who provided the internal documents of the Biden administration hopes to see that family migration will also increase in the coming months.
What to see: Internally, government officials have been sounding alarms. As previously reported by Axios, DHS expects a record number of migrant children this year.
- HHS has told the White House it will need a capacity of 20,000 beds to accommodate them humanely.