The Biden government has been facing new peaks of more than 200 percent in illegal border crossings since last year and has opened another tent city to detain illegal immigrants in Texas, US Customs and Border Protection announced.
The Border Patrol revealed in a report released on Wednesday that the number of migrants seized at the border in January reached almost 78,000, compared with 36,679 in January 2020.
Single adult Mexican citizens were responsible for more than 37,000 CBP meetings, an increase of 119% over last year, according to the agency.
Amid the sudden increase, a new “flexible siding facility” was established this week by the agency in Donna, Texas, to house individuals who were originally staying at the Centralized Processing Center in McAllen, Texas.
Donna’s installation is “weatherproof, air conditioned and offers[s] large areas for eating, sleeping and personal hygiene, ”said CBP in a statement on Tuesday.
The agency went on to call Donna’s location “a considerable upgrade from previous installations with soft sides”, publicizing its 160,000 square feet of covered area.
The Trump administration has faced considerable criticism from then-candidate Joe Biden and Democrats over the use of temporary shelters, also known as “tent cities”, in cities on the southern border.
Because they are temporary, these housing facilities do not normally comply with the same regulatory standards as long-term shelters.
“Donna’s location was chosen because it is central to border patrol posts throughout the Rio Grande Valley sector,” said a CBP spokesman this week about the newest facilities.
This tent city built under President Biden is not the first of his young administration.
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services said it would open an overflow facility capable of accommodating up to 700 migrant children in the next two weeks.
In a statement released by the Refugee Resettlement Office, the department announced plans to reopen a temporary “Influx Care Facility” in Carrizo Springs, Texas.
“Initially, Carrizo Springs ICF will accommodate approximately 700 children in rigid structures. Additional semi-permanent capacity (with flexible sides) can be added if necessary, although the ORR always prioritizes placing children in structures with rigid sides instead of semi-permanent structures, ”says the statement.
The Carrizo Springs facility will be used by children over the age of 13 who have completed the COVID-19 quarantine.
There are currently more than 4,700 children in the care of this division, which also finances more than 13,000 licensed beds for migrants.