Remember when liberals were upset about detaining kids at the border?
That was last October but times are different now.
Law enforcement sources report huge increases in the apprehension of unaccompanied children (UAC) along the Texas border with Mexico. Despite the opening of a new facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, Border Patrol facilities continue to experience overcrowding not seen since the 2019 migrant crisis.
Despite efforts by the Border Patrol to transfer the UAC’s into suitable Health and Human Services (HHS) shelters,
the minors are not being accepted by HHS in a timely manner — running contrary to current legal requirements. Delays in the transfer of the migrant children in many cases exceed the legal limit of 72 hours.
The reopening of a Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS ORR) facility for UACs in Carrizo Springs, Texas, appears to have had little impact on the overcrowding at Border Patrol stations along the border.
The HHS ORR facility recently opened is specifically designed to temporarily house unaccompanied children apprehended by the Border Patrol. The facility provides medical attention, educational services, and recreation activities for the migrant children. The facility’s staff arranges for the release of the unaccompanied children to family members in the United States. The HHS ORR facilities provide services that are not available in Border Patrol temporary holding cells which are not designed to meet current detention standards for minors.
In the Del Rio Sector, the Uvalde Border Patrol Station is the designated hub for unaccompanied children. This is where the coordination of transfer between the Border Patrol and HHS ORR occurs.
During processing, staff members facilitate the separation of unaccompanied children from unrelated adults. However, the facility is not equipped to meet the standards for long-term detention. The Flores vs. Reno settlement agreement, reached in 1997, sets national standards for detaining and transporting minors. The agreement calls for minors to be held in the least restrictive of settings and sets standards for education and other critical services.
EL FLORIDO, GUATEMALA - JANUARY 18: A girl gets off a bus that takes them back to the Honduran border with Guatemala on January 18, 2021 in El Florido, Guatemala. The caravan departed from Honduras to walk across Guatemala and Mexico to eventually reach the United States. After clashing with the police yesterday migrants are being held to carry out immigration and heath controls. Central Americans expect to receive asylum and most Hondurans decided to migrate after being hit by recent hurricanes. (Photo by Josue Decavele/Getty Images)