The Biden government is sending the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the southern border of the United States to care for unaccompanied migrant children amid a recent flow.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a press release on Saturday, FEMA will support a 90-day effort to receive, shelter and transfer unaccompanied minors who cross the border.
“I appreciate the exceptional talent and responsiveness of the FEMA team,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro MayorkasDHS grants temporary legal status to citizens of Myanmar in the USA. Mayorkas torpedoes the Biden administration’s position on Biden asylum seekers rescinding Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule MORE said in a statement. “Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as soon as possible, in accordance with legal requirements and in the best interests of the children.”
The effort comes as Biden deals with a record number of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border.
CBS News reported on tuesday that more than 3,200 children are being held in Border Patrol cells for migrant adults, and almost half have exceeded the CBP’s three-day period to be transferred to an appropriate shelter.
The government has said it wants to remove unaccompanied minors from US Customs and Border Protection into the care of the Department of Health and Human Services and place them with a family member or sponsor until the case is heard.
Mayorkas continued, however, to say that anyone who enters the United States through “irregular channels” will be arrested and returned.
“It is never safe to come to the United States through irregular channels, and this is particularly true during a pandemic,” said Mayorkas. “To effectively protect the health and safety of migrants and our communities from the spread of COVID-19, individuals detained at the border continue to be denied entry and are returned. “
The White House has faced criticism for its way of dealing with the influx of migrants. While President biden
Joe BidenPentagon is criticized for extending Guard time at the Capitol Booker to try to make the expansion of child tax credit permanent Sullivan says tariffs will not occupy the center of negotiations with China MORE departed from the harsh practices adopted under the old President Trump
Donald TrumpPentagon gets criticized for extending Guard time at the Capitol Fundraising points to Trump-GOP cracks Trump’s rally organizer says Alex Jones threatened to take her off the stage: report MORE, the sudden increase in migrants, specifically unaccompanied minors, left the government unable to prosecute detainees and transfer them to a safer and healthier location. The process was further complicated by the pandemic, with restrictions of social distance in place.
A recent CNN complaint described CBP-supervised detention centers as “similar to prison cells and not intended for children”.
“We don’t want them to be on the CBP premises,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiWhite House faces challenge to overcome the hesitation of the GOP vaccine Bill would block Biden from withdrawing Cuba as state sponsor of terrorism The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Johns Hopkins University – Biden sets an optimistic tone for the summer MORE said Tuesday.
“We want them to be in shelters as quickly as possible and, ultimately, in families and homes where their requests can be processed. But we’re looking to streamline the way we look at families and sponsor homes as well. “