Immigrant minors crossing the US borders unaccompanied

Currently, there is a growing controversy among the American population and members of the government due to the number of immigrant minors who cross the US borders unaccompanied.

The Biden administration states that its primary intention is to protect the integrity of immigrant minors and prevent their deportation. However, official figures from CBP (Customs and Border Protection) show that the Biden administration will not be able to accommodate unaccompanied immigrant minors arriving at the US borders under the maximum capacity allowed at HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) centers during the global Coronavirus pandemic.

To understand the issue at hand, it is important to clarify that border entities such as CBP must transfer unaccompanied minors to the ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) facilities, which is a branch of HHS and is the agency in charge of protecting immigrant children.

However, CBP states that it has not been able to transfer all minors in less than 72 hours, which is the time normally allowed, due to lack of space in HHS facilities during the health crisis caused by COVID-19. In fact, as of Monday, March 8, CBP had 3,200 unaccompanied immigrant minors in its custody.

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The Biden administration orders immigrant minor centers to reopen to pre-pandemic levels

Through a memorandum, the Biden administration ordered HHS to reopen its facilities with pre-pandemic capacity to house immigrant minors who are crossing the US borders unaccompanied.

The Biden administration states that HHS facilities must implement new measures and protocols due to “extraordinary circumstances” at the borders. In the memo, the current administration states, “Additional shelter capacity will minimize the likelihood that children remain in Border Patrol stations longer than necessary, where they are also exposed to COVID-19 transmission risks as well as child welfare concerns associated with such settings (…) Today based on CDC guidance, ORR has notified facilities they may temporarily reactivate capacity to their full licensed capability up to safe occupancy levels.”

Adding to that, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) stated that HHS facilities will possibly have to face COVID-19 cases among immigrant minors as there is no risk-free space when there are crowds.

Under pre-pandemic levels, HHS facilities have the capacity to house approximately 13,650 unaccompanied immigrant minors, which will allow the Biden administration to prevent children from being in the custody of border entities for longer than allowed by law.

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