Thousands of migrant kids stuck in US border patrol custody, again
Asylum-seeking migrant families from Central America disembark from an inflatable raft after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Roma, Texas, U.S., July 28, 2021. Picture taken July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File
ROMA: The number of migrant children in Border Patrol facilities has been steadily rising, an analysis of U.S. government data shows, as record numbers crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in July, renewing a politically sensitive issue for President Joe Biden.
On Aug. 1 there were more than 2,200 unaccompanied children in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody, more than double the number just a month earlier, according to daily statistics provided by the government since March and compiled by Reuters.
A CBP spokesperson said that number includes Mexican children who are quickly returned to their home country, as well as Central American children who are transferred to U.S. federal shelters.
The average time unaccompanied children are spending in CBP custody is around 60 hours, according to one source familiar with matter, which is just within the limits set by a long-standing court settlement.
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