Number of kids in Border Patrol custody tops 3,700 amid surge

WASHINGTON, DC — The number of unaccompanied migrant children in Border Patrol custody continues to climb, reaching more than 3,700, many of them in jail-like facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border, CNN has learned.

On Wednesday, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 800 unaccompanied migrant children, as of the latest count, according to a Homeland Security official on Thursday, signaling an ongoing spike in encounters of children and surpassing the current 450 daily average.

The spike in children arriving this week is drawing a lot of attention and meetings are ongoing “at the highest levels,” the official said, predicting it will be an ongoing problem until the Biden administration finds a way to prevent children from arriving at the border.

“It’s going to be very difficult to stop this,” the official said.

It’s a dramatic increase from last week when Border Patrol was apprehending around 340 children daily who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone.

The administration is racing to house migrant children as President Joe Biden’s approach to immigration faces a critical early test. The President entered office vowing to reverse what he cast as cruel policies put in place by President Donald Trump that made it difficult for people fleeing poverty and violence to come to the United States. Now, Biden is working to strike a balance between promoting a more humane approach to immigration while still sending the message to would-be migrants not to come.

At the peak of the 2019 border crisis — when there were overcrowded facilities and children sleeping on the ground — there were around 2,600 unaccompanied children in Border Patrol custody, a former CBP official previously told CNN.

As officials scramble to find shelter space for children, kids are staying in Border Patrol custody for prolonged periods of time, averaging more than four days.

More than 100 children have been in custody for around 10 days, CNN has learned. A week ago, the average time was 77 hours.

Typically, after being taken into Border Patrol custody, unaccompanied children have to be turned over within 72 hours to the Department of Health and Human Services, which is tasked with the care of migrant children, barring exceptional circumstances.

Border facilities are “absolutely” overcrowded, the DHS official said. As of Wednesday, US Customs and Border Protection was overcapacity in 7 out of the 9 Border Patrol sectors, the official said, adding that Yuma, Rio Grande Valley and Del Rio were “severely overcapacity.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has further constrained the space available to migrants in custody.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen the number that high,” the official said about Wednesday’s numbers, referring to a single day figure over the last several months.

On Wednesday, CBP announced it had encountered just over 100,000 migrants along the US-Mexico border in February, reaching levels not seen since 2019.

“(W)e continue to struggle with the number of individuals in our custody, especially given the pandemic,” said Troy Miller, the senior official performing the duties of the CBP commissioner, during a press briefing Wednesday.

The border agency is working with HHS to move children out of custody as quickly as possible, said Miller.

“We need to move them out quicker,” he acknowledged.