The Biden government announced this week that it opened a flexible facility for immigrants in Donna, Texas, while Republican lawmakers warn of a “growing crisis” on the United States’ border with Mexico.
In a statement to Fox News, a spokesman for US Customs and Border Patrol said the agency’s Centralized Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, is undergoing renovations, requiring additional facilities.
The primary purpose of Donna’s location will be to prosecute individuals in custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.
“Donna’s location was chosen because it is central to Border Patrol stations throughout the Rio Grande Valley Sector,” said a spokesman for the US Customs and Border Patrol.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION REOPENING TEXAS HOLDING INSTALLATION FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN
As previously reported by Fox News, the Department of Health and Human Services also plans to reactivate a temporary Influx Care Facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, for the possible care of unaccompanied foreign children detained on the country’s southwest border.
The facility will initially be able to accommodate around 700 migrant children, although capacity can be added, if necessary. The government hopes to start sheltering unaccompanied foreign children who have been released from the COVID-19 quarantine in Carrizo Springs in just over a week. It does not accommodate children under 13 years old.
The centers are opening up as seizures at the border increase amid hopes of easing restrictions under the current administration, as previously reported by Fox News.
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The Department of Homeland Security noted that there has been a steady increase in border meetings since April, triggered by conditions caused by the pandemic and natural disasters.
House Republicans wrote a letter to Biden this week warning of a “growing crisis of illegal immigration” on the southern border. Lawmakers said CBP officials saw the average daily flow increase to 3,500 from 2,000 last month.
By law, the government is obliged to care for unaccompanied foreign children who do not have immigration status in the United States, have no legal guardian in the United States and are not yet 18 years old.