Border experts clash on federal government’s handling of unaccompanied migrant children
EL PASO, Texas - El Paso is again in the national spotlight because of the surge in unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the United States.
The surge comes after President Joe Biden's administration ended former President Donald Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy.
According to the Pew Research Center, there were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children encountered in February. That’s an increase of 168% and 63% from January.
According to ABC News, more than 15,000 unaccompanied minors are now in custody, with 5,000 of them in U.S. Border Patrol custody. More than 600 of those children have been in custody for more than 10 days, despite the legal limit being just three.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Dallas told ABC’s ‘This Week’ that the Biden administration should have been better prepared for this influx. He said saying 'don't come now' isn't enough.
"They have created a humanitarian crisis down here at this border,” McCaul said. “The messaging is, 'if you want to come, you can stay.'"
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC News that the Biden Administration has a plan that they are implementing and they don’t want migrant children to attempt to cross the border now.
"We are encouraging children not to come,” Mayorkas said. “Now is not the time to come. Do not come. The journey is dangerous, we are building safe, orderly and humane ways to address the needs of vulnerable children."
Mayorkas said part of that plan includes dispatching FEMA to assist HHS in building additional capacity to address the needs of children.
Eventually, he says they want to move those children through to the United States and to sponsor and shelter them in the way Mayorkas says they deserve.
Despite this plan, McCaul told ABC News that he expects the surge to only intensify. He predicts one million people will try and cross the border into the U.S. by the summer.
