The US Department of Homeland Security on Saturday ordered an emergency agency that typically responds to floods, hurricanes and other major disasters to take care of an increasing number of migrant children arriving at the US-Mexico border.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the news release that he would deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help children receive, shelter and transport over the next 90 days.
The move signals the scope of a growing humanitarian and political crisis for the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat who took office on January 20. Biden has overturned some of the restrictive policies of former President Donald Trump, Republican, as increased arrivals.
Minors found crossing the border are transferred by immigration officials to another federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But children arriving without parents or legal guardians have more than a shelter capacity, previously cut by 40% to limit the spread of COVID-19.
An administration official told reporters on Friday that the shelter capacity restriction related to coronovirus was lifted on March 5, but only 200 beds came back online last week.
It is unclear how FEMA will help, although the agency has housing and caregivers for the homeless. The Homeland Security statement states that FEMA will help to “look at every available option to expand physical capacity to provide appropriate”. “
A FEMA statement said it was also working with HHS to “provide food, water and basic medical care.”
Migrant children caught at the border are to be transferred from border patrol custody within 72 hours. But when shelter space is limited, they can be trapped in border detention centers for a long time – as is happening now.
Border stations were built for adult men for short periods and COVID-19 could pose health risks to children and staff if they are crowded.
More than 3,600 migrant children were housed in US border facilities as of Thursday morning, a US official told Reuters, more than four times the number at the end of February. As of Friday, approximately 8,800 unregistered children were in custody at the HHS Refugee Office.
FEMA helped coordinate in response to the influx of illegal minors led by former President Barack Obama in 2014.
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