Hundreds of unaccompanied, migrant children continue to cross the southern border and be taken into the Biden administration’s custody, according to a recent report.
The immigration crisis has shown no signs of letting up, with the number of children seeking asylum in the U.S. increasing once again over the past week, the Washington Examiner reported.
Border officials said they encountered more than 530 children through the month of June, which is just as high as the initial spike in April.
Nearly 15,000 unaccompanied minors are being held at government facilities along the southern border, according to data released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services.
More than 2,000 others were transferred to Border Patrol’s custody or released into the U.S.
In an effort to release migrant children from detention facilities faster, the Biden administration lowered the standard for selecting adult sponsors who can care for these migrants. However, Republicans argued this policy will only encourage more migrants to travel to the U.S.
“The Administration is reducing critical protections for unaccompanied children in an effort to expedite processing and place them with sponsors,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in a statement. “The Biden Administration should require fingerprinting and criminal background checks of potential sponsors and all adults in the household and home visits, as well as notify state governments before placing children in those states.”
Republicans have argued the flood of unaccompanied migrant children is the result of President Joe Biden’s open-border rhetoric and repeal of successful Trump administration policies, including “Remain in Mexico.”
This policy denied would-be illegals the ability to vanish within the US while awaiting adjudication of their asylum claim.
Other health restrictions that the Biden administration ceased to enforce had allowed immigration officials to return unaccompanied minors to Mexico or to their home countries so that US immigration facilities were not filled during the coronavirus pandemic.
Even Texas Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela has called on the Biden administration to continue Trump’s policy and turn away unaccompanied teenagers.
“We are in the middle of a pandemic and our systems are being overwhelmed. At some point, it is important to take a practical approach,” he said.
