5700 Migrants Overcrowding a Border Patrol Facility in Donna, Texas
A great number of migrants have been overcrowding a temporary border patrol tent located in Donna, Texas. On Monday, the said temporary detention center for migrants is holding a total of 5,700 migrants seeking asylum. The great number is extremely overcrowding the supposed 250 maximum capacity of the facility.
The surge of migrants in the facility comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc. Social distancing is among the safety protocol, health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are promoting aside from wearing masks. This is quite a challenge to maintain in the facility, given the number of migrants present.
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Overcrowding Migrants in Donna, Texas
The discovery of the extreme overcrowding happened when a Texas representative toured the facility on Monday as part of the delegation.
Representative Beth Van Duyne pointed out the reason why there is extreme overcrowding in the facility. Duyne blamed the slow approval or process of the federal agencies in accepting families and unaccompanied children, according to a Washington Examiner report.
"Pod after pod after pod of kids lying on the ground - barely enough room to even see," described Duyne at a press conference on the Rio Grande river.
The pods are designed to house only 32 children due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that was not taken into account since one of the pods is holding about 600 unaccompanied teenagers, according to a CBS News report.
In an interview with Washington Examiner, former Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan noted that the detention rate has increased to 700% from 400%.
Children that are in the Donna facility sleep on gym mats and are given mylar blankets to fight the cold. The Donna facility has two recreational rooms. However, the area was being used for testing COVID-19 on unaccompanied migrants to separate those who are positive for the disease.
It can be remembered that the Biden-Harris administration officials have stayed firm on their decision to not expel children from the border. They argued that the children are vulnerable and protected by trafficking laws.
Media in the Facility
For the first time, the Biden-Harris administration has allowed media to cover the facility in Donna, Texas where the uptick in migrant children is evident. The Department of Homeland Security officials has permitted the Associated Press and a camera crew to tour the facility, according to The Washington Post.
As of Tuesday, the reporter who was able to tour the facility noted that about 4,100 people are in the holding facility. 3,400 are unaccompanied migrant children while 700 are members of the migrant families.
Border patrol official Oscar Escanilla said in a press briefing that about 2,000 migrants are staying in the facility for about three days. Meanwhile, 39 unaccompanied children at the facility are under their custody for over 15 days. According to the law, all detainees should be transferred under the custody of Human and Health Services within 72 hours.
In total, more than 2,000 unaccompanied migrants who are children have been held in the Donna, Texas facility which added to its overcrowding. The recent 39 who are in the facility for the past 15 days are among the 2,000 children who were held for more than 72 hours in the facility.
READ MORE: Biden "Limits" Sharing of Info About Migrant Surge, Officials Claim
WATCH: More Than 4,000 Migrants Crammed Into Border Detention Facility in Donna, Texas - from Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
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