1 / 4Migrants are seen outside the U.S. Border Patrol McAllen Station in a makeshift encampment in McAllenBy Kristina Cooke and Julio-Cesar Chavez
The court filings noted that at least six children have died while in U.S. immigration custody or shortly after being released over the past year. In a media tour of the facility on Wednesday, border officials did not allow photos or video to be taken but gave reporters a limited view of cells divided by demographics - young mothers with their children and young boy and girls held separately. Reporters saw some beds in the cells as well as kids on the floor with only blankets.
The number of mostly Central American families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and seeking asylum in the United States has ballooned in recent months, straining resources. Apprehensions along the southwest border topped 130,000 in May, the highest level in more than a decade. U.S. agencies are asking Congress for emergency funding to fill the gaps but the Senate and House have yet to reconcile a bill.
President Donald Trump has made cracking down on immigration a centerpiece of his administration, arguing that the nation's policies are too lax and filled with loopholes. But officials have struggled to handle a surge in mostly Central American families and unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, many of them claiming asylum.
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Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »