The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Saturday ordered an emergency agency that usually responds to floods, storms and other major disasters to help care for a growing number of migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in news release that he would deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to help receive, shelter and transport the children” 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 Jan. 20. The increased arrivals come as Biden has reversed some of the restrictive policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican.
Unaccompanied minors found crossing the border are transferred by immigration officials to another federal agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But a spike in children arriving without parents or legal guardians has exceeded shelter capacity, which was previously cut by 40% to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The coronavirus-related shelter capacity restrictions were lifted on March 5, but only about 200 beds came back online last week, an administration official told reporters on Friday. – READ MORE
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