According to reports, the Biden administration is considering sending migrants to states near the Canadian border to be processed in the midst of an intense crossing to the southern border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is requesting planes that will allow it to transport migrants to northern states, the Washington Post reported Friday. The request was reportedly made after 1,000 unaccompanied relatives and minors crossed the Rio Grande on Friday morning and border officials continue to work to prosecute another group of 1,000 migrants who arrived Thursday night.
The Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comments from The Hill. CBP denied plans to relocate migrants to northern states.
“CBP is continuously evaluating possible contingency plans and adjusting its operations as circumstances dictate, but there are currently no plans to transfer migrants from the southwestern border to the northern or coastal border,” the agency told The Hill .
The proposed flight is the latest sign that the Biden administration is facing a surge in migrants gathering on the southern border.
As officials move away, they admit a growing number of unaccompanied minors appearing at the border. More than 14,000 children who traveled to the United States without their families are currently in federal custody, an official said Thursday.
The Department of Health and Human Services has more than 9,500 migrant children on its facilities, while CBP has about 4,500. Evidence has emerged showing that minors are housed in adult CBP cells for longer than legally allowed.
The Biden administration has denied that the situation at the border is a “crisis”, rather than calling it a “challenge”. However, it mobilized ample resources to try to improve the situation on the ground, including ordering the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give $ 110 million to nonprofit groups and government agencies to provide helps families and children crossing the border.
The administration has been on fire to prevent the media from covering the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro Mayorkas More than 14,000 migrant children in US custody: Republican officials call for hearing on Biden border increase to send surplus AstraZeneca vaccine dose to Mexico, Canada MOREThe visit to the southern border on Friday sparked criticism from activists for officials not being transparent enough on the issue.