CNN: 3200 Migrant Children Held by Border Patrol Exceeds Trump-Era Peak

(03 09 21) The Biden Administration shattered a Trump-era record with DHS officials holding 3,200 unaccompanied alien children in custody, CNN reports. The detention of these minors shatters the 2,600 children held at the peak of the 2019 migrant surge. Many are being held beyond the 72-hour limit in facilities designed to hold large groups of adults.

The children are being held in jail-like cells that are not designed for children, CNN reported. Border Patrol is unable to release the children to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to the overcrowding in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) long-term shelters. Many are being held long past the 72-hour court-imposed deadline to transfer the children out of Border Patrol custody.