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On December 23, asylum seekers stand at a bus stop after being dropped off by immigration and customs services at the Greyhound bus station in El Paso , in Texas.
Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images
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Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images
On December 23, asylum seekers stand at a bus stop after being dropped off at the Greyhound bus station in El Paso, Texas, by the immigration and immigration services. customs.
Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen returns to Texas and Arizona on Friday and Saturday, citing an "unprecedented" increase in fears of unaccompanied families and children at the border Mexican-American.
"The system is clearly outdated," Nielsen said in a statement. Nearly 50,000 family units were captured by the US Border Patrol in October and November, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security, four times more than during the same period last year.
The secretary's visit comes as her department is under surveillance for the recent deaths of two Guatemalan migrant children in the custody of the United States. On Monday, eight-year-old Felipe Gomez-Alonza died of the flu, and seven-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin died earlier this month of shock and dehydration. The Nielsen tour began in El Paso, Texas, where Gomez-Alonza was apprehended and Maquin died.
Earlier this week, Nielsen described the death of this 8-year-old child as "deeply concerning and heartbreaking" and announced new screening procedures medical for all migrant children – both those traveling with family members and those arriving unaccompanied. In El Paso, they are examined in a network of hospitals and clinics run by volunteers. As of Friday, nearly 150 children had been examined under the new procedures and at least four had been admitted to a sector hospital, according to the Regional Border Advisory Council, a non-profit organization that helps coordinate controls.
On Saturday, President Trump accused Democrats of being responsible for the deaths of two children.
The death of children or other people at the border is strictly the fault of Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long journey thinking they can get into our country. country illegally. They can not. If we had a wall, they would not even try! The two …..
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2018
Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims about the dangers of incoming migrants; his controversial campaign promise of a new border wall is at the center of congressional congestion that has temporarily blocked the federal government.
Without quoting precise figures, Nielsen said this week that there has been an increase in the number of sick children crossing the US border. Alan Shapiro, a pediatrician who deals with and defends the rights of immigrant children, told Yahoo News that the claim was "in bad faith," adding that "there is a slight increase in viral diseases in the country in winter. is not specific to migrants. "
As reported by Joel Rose of NPR, deplorable living conditions and a lack of support Hygiene in government detention facilities can also make migrant children sick. A group of Democratic lawmakers said that when the Congress returns to Washington next week, they "will hold hearings and monitor the two deaths that occurred earlier this month, as well as the conditions under which thousands of people will be killed." children are being held at DHS. " jail. "
In El Paso on Friday, Nielsen met with the area chief and staff of two border patrol posts, as well as officials from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and medical staff of the US Coast Guard who advise border patrol on new controls protocols.
Nielsen also had a conversation with the Republican mayor of the city, Dee Margo, who wished him a good visit.
I appreciate @ SecNielsen to take the time to meet with me to discuss the area of El Paso, our needs at the border.Our federal representatives should go to the border when they make decisions regarding our system. The visit @SecNielsen is welcome
– Mayor Dee Margo (@mayor_margo) on December 29, 2018
Margo told NPR that among the subjects was edged was the release of 400 migrants in downtown El Paso earlier this week by agents of the ICE. City officials and local aid agencies were caught unawares as migrants found themselves without food, shelter or a place to go. Margo called the "unexpected drop" of "unexpected fall".
On Saturday morning, Nielsen continued his tour in Yuma, Arizona. The details of this visit were not immediately available.
Last week, Nielsen announced a new policy requiring asylum seekers on the southern border to wait in Mexico while processing their claim. If it is implemented, more children will probably be accommodated in Mexican shelters already in high demand, in areas where gangs regularly target migrants.
Journalist Monica Ortiz Uribe contributed to the writing of this report.
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