In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump praised the introduction of a new zero tolerance policy.
One consequence of the new, tougher line was that children were forcibly taken to detention camps across the border from Mexico because their parents had taken them illegally. The UN has accused US officials of violating human rights.
It is now being re-announced that the United States has once again ended up in a migration crisis.
According to government figures, nearly 9,500 single children were taken across the US border in February. According to CBS News Earlier this week, more than 3,200 children were in border patrol. Of these, nearly 1,400 were arrested within 72 hours, which is the legal limit.
After picking up children by border patrol, they must be handed over to the Ministry of Health and Care Services (HHS). Due to corona infection, their ability has been limited for a long time and, therefore, they have not been able to keep up with the increasing number of children.
Therefore, detention camps have been set up to temporarily close these.
At one of the detention centers for immigrant children in South Texas, it is now reported to be crowded and many children have been kept there for a long time.
International Camp: On February 9, a temporary facility for minor immigrants opened in Dona, Texas. Photo: US Border Patrol
Had to sleep in shifts
Neha Desai, a lawyer representing immigrant children in US custody, said she interviewed hungry children and minors who had not seen sunlight for seven days.
– Some of the boys said it was too crowded and they had to switch to sleeping on the floor.
CNN It reports that more than a hundred children have been detained for nearly ten days, and that immigrant children were detained for an average of 77 hours last week, which is five hours more than legal.
Meeting
Desai is one of several lawyers representing immigrant children in federal cases at the National Center for Youth Law. They have the right to interview minors in US immigration camps.
Desai interviewed twelve orphaned children detained at the U.S. Border Control Center in Dona, Texas.
As of March 2, more than 1,800 people were stranded inside the facility CBS News. The facility was originally sized for 250 refugees and access to the canal was granted according to internal documentation.
The facility has several large tents that can be used to house detained immigrant families and minor immigrants.
According to the lawyer, most of the children said they had only been showered once.
“Most people said they wanted to shower more than once, but they were told they couldn’t,” he said.
Texas: One of the rooms in the Temporary Detention Center for Immigrant Children was like it was before it came into use. Photo: US Border Patrol
– They cried frantically
According to the lawyer, many children are clearly emotionally affected, especially when siblings of different genders are separated and placed in different areas of the facility.
One of the people we spoke to said she only saw the sun when it rained because she could see the sun through a window there.
The minors were also reportedly denied a call to their families.
– They cried frantically and wanted to talk to their families, the lawyer said.
According to Desai, prosecutors refused to show up around the facility in Dona, and were only able to interview some of the children who were incarcerated while they were there.
Biden under the press
President Joe Biden has previously promised to change Donald Trump’s policies in the region, thereby introducing a more humanitarian approach to immigration.
On Wednesday this week, White House Press Secretary Jen Saki responded to questions about the situation. He said Biden had a conference last weekend.
– They spent a lot of time thinking about what steps could be taken to speed up the process. We will strive to quickly achieve the administration’s goal of keeping these children in safe families.
Test: Biden’s boundary strategy faces an important test. Photo: Tom Brenner / Reuters / NDP
Many believe that Biden is to blame for the increase in the number of immigrants to the United States.
– We see a wave of single children coming across the border. Why? Joe Biden promises amnesty, says Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz Twitter Earlier this week.
Admits that infection control is very poor
Immigrants have already been sent there for several weeks since the Dona facility opened in February. In documents recently filed in a federal court, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) admits that infection control does not comply with this facility.
– One cannot see the rules for social exclusion being observed, especially as more people are being detained.
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