The number of migrant children detained in Border Patrol facilities has tripled over the past two weeks, amid an ongoing surge of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Over 3,250 migrant children are currently in Border Patrol custody, according to internal documents obtained by CNN and The New York Times. That figure is triple the amount from two weeks ago and almost double the 1,700 children held in Border Patrol facilities as of last week.
Of those detained, over 1,360 children have been held longer than the maximum 72 hours before being transferred from Border Patrol to shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services. However, while around 2,600 children are currently waiting for transfer, just 500 beds suitable for children are available, according to the documents.
The Biden administration moved last week to allow HHS shelters to operate at 100 percent capacity to accommodate an expected influx of migrants, despite the threat of increased coronavirus spread in the shelters. The President reportedly received a briefing warning of record numbers of child migrants at the border in the coming weeks.
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