Biden Administration Reopens Texas Detention Center for Foreign Children at Border

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Feb 05, 2021 01:04 AM EST

Asylum Seekers Fill Tent Camps As Part Of U.S. “Remain In Mexico” Policy

(Photo : John Moore/Getty Images)
Immigrant children watch as the last bags of toys are distributed to other children following class at "The Sidewalk School" held at a "Remain in Mexico" camp for asylum seekers on December 08, 2019 in the Mexican border town of Matamoros, Mexico.

The administration of President Joe Biden has expressed intent to reopen a Texas detention center to accommodate an increase in unoccupied foreign children at the southern U.S. border.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it plans to reopen a detention center in Carrizo Springs, Texas for the potential influx of unaccompanied foreign children as necessary.

If the plan pushes through, the detention center will be able to accommodate about 700 migrant children, but Fox News noted that capacity could be adjusted if necessary.

Prior to the Biden administration's plans on occupying the said space, it had been vacant since July 2019. Reopening it as an overflow facility for foreign children grew to become a controversial topic for the Biden administration.

Overflow Detention Center to House Foreign Children 13 Years Old and Older

HHS said that foreign children over the age of 13, who were cleared of COVID-19 quarantine protocols, can be housed in the facility, reported USA Today.

"HHS is mindful of these children's vulnerability, and our priority is the safety and wellbeing of each child in our care. HHS anticipates the need to start placing children at Carrizo Springs in 15 days or soon after," the department said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the Influx Care Facilities could be one way to move migrant children out of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities. It is believed that once they are moved, they will be given access to services like medical care and education.

The government will work to assign children to appropriate care provider facilities and pass them on to suitable sponsors as their immigration processes move forward.

With the large influx of people from the south, The Federalist noted that immigrants are "anticipating Democrats will reward their intent to break U.S. laws."

During this time, DHS and CBP are scrambling to keep up with the capacity of people rushing into the U.S. and evaluate the influx of incoming migrants amid the global pandemic.

At this pace, The Federalist noted that both agencies would be reopening, renovating, and even creating new holding centers to keep up with migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

"The situation remains extremely fluid and can change rapidly," the Office of Refugee Resettlement said in a statement.

Critics Point Detention Center's Similarity to 'Kids in Cages'

The Biden administration's move comes after a slew of executive orders that sought to unwind the Trump administration's hardline policies against immigration.

"We're going to work to undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration that literally, not figuratively, ripped children from the arms of their families," he said as he signed a task force reuniting foreign citizens and their children.

However, the campaign threw immediate obstacles on the Biden administration's way with the influx of migrants.

Some pointed out that the reopening of the overflow facilities seemed similar to the "kids in cages" argument in media and the left when former President Donald Trump was in office.

The administration also sidestepped questions about Title 42, a law invoked by Trump that allowed border officials to expel illegal migrants without due process.