Cuellar says influx of migrants still overwhelms border facilities

Washington – Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas, said on Sunday that U.S. customs and border protection facilities remain overwhelmed as the Biden administration faces an influx of migrants, many of whom unaccompanied children, crossing the southern border of the United States

“The border patrol doesn’t want to keep people there for more than 72 hours,” Cuellar said in an interview with “Face the Nation” about migrant children held in border detention centers. “But there are two problems, two factors that come into play. First, there are so many – there are a lot of people who come together every day, groups of over 100 people who come into custody. border patrol, number one. Number two, the flow, which is through HHS, they’re moving around and they’re trying to open more shelters. “

While reporters were barred from accessing the sites themselves, Cuellar provided CBS News with photos of a border patrol in Donna, Texas, some of which show children with foil blankets waiting to be processed. Other images from the Texas Democrats show families under a bridge in McAllen, Texas, at a temporary treatment site while waiting to enter a detention facility. More photos show dozens of young girls who Cuellar says have been held at the border for days, far longer than the 72-hour legal limit that border officials must hand over unaccompanied minors to the Department of Health and Social Services Refugee Resettlement Office, who is responsible for the accommodation of the children.

The Biden administration has grappled in recent weeks with the wave of migrants crossing the southern border, including families with young children and unaccompanied minors arriving alone. The influx of migrant children and families has left immigration authorities struggle for shelter for unaccompanied minors placed in police custody by immigration authorities, which leads to overcrowding in border patrol facilities.

As of Friday morning, the United States was sheltering 12,500 unaccompanied children in shelters and emergency sites, while 5,500 others were held at border patrol facilities. To ease the pressure on bed capacity, the Biden administration has found at least nine emergency sites to accommodate unaccompanied minors in border detention centers, which are not intended to accommodate children.

President Biden told reporters at a press conference Thursday that the migrant families “should all return,” and key members of his administration have repeatedly warned that the US-Mexico border is closed.

While Mr. Biden and senior administration officials have blamed the Trump administration for effectively dismantling the federal immigration system, the Biden administration has maintained a public health order issued by the former president. Donald Trump at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to immediately deport most asylum-seeking migrants to the United States Yet Central American adolescents and children crossing the border alone have been allowed to stay, as do families with young children.

“The adults have pretty much returned,” Cuellar said. “You know, 71% of the 100,000 people who passed by in February are adults. They are sent back, expelled. Some family units are returned to Mexico based on the age of the children. Thirteen and over are expelled. “

But Cuellar said 2,000 migrants were released in the United States without notice to appear in immigration court.

“They’re supposed to show up, show up, maybe in 60 days, show up at an ICE office,” he said. “It’s unprecedented.”

Liberated family units in the United States place a burden on border communities, said Cuellar, whose Texas district includes areas along the US-Mexico border.

“Cities, counties, NGOs, we are feeling the brunt of what’s going on with family units,” the congressman said. “Unaccompanied children are different. These are subject to HHS.”

Biden asked Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for help in stemming the crisis on the US-Mexico border, and the president sent an envoy to Mexico last week to discuss a plan to deal with the influx. of migrants. Mr. Biden also appealed to VP Harris to lead the administration’s work to stem migration across the border.

Cuellar said Mexico “could do more” to help the United States, and added that it had not spoken to the vice president since November, although he had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and others at the White House.

“Certainly myself, the other members of Congress here, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez and of course Vela, Congressman Filemon Vela, we all want to be of service to the Vice President,” he said. “I’m glad the president has handed over the responsibility to the vice president, because we need someone who can look at the big picture of what we’re seeing here. It’s not a simple solution.”