9(MDAyNTU4MDIzMDEyMzAwMTE4NTAxYzUzMg001) "FACT CHECK: Biden reopens border shelters for teens, but it’s not ‘kids in cages’")
The White House continues to defend itself against criticism from left and right for the reopening of Trump-era shelters used to house unaccompanied teens crossing the border from Mexico.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the government was being forced to make the ‘difficult choice’ to reopen the facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, due to the number of minor children arriving at the border, which she says means they have to take responsibility for their care.
“It’s like sending our kids back after a very dangerous journey back to their countries. It’s not a good option. I do not think anyone will support the option,” Psaki said. “[Or] we send it to families who have not yet been checked. We have seen challenges in the past where children are trafficked. In our opinion, this is not a good option. ‘
She also said the pandemic exacerbated the challenges. The administration needed additional space due to social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In January, more than 5,700 minor minors crossed the border, up from 4,850 in December and 4,500 in November, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP.
The first group of teenagers arrived at the Carrizo Springs plant on Monday. It can accommodate 700 individuals between the ages of 13 and 17.
The controversy over the shelters is just the latest example of challenges facing the Biden government in trying to switch from a campaign on immigration to a government and in ensuring that immigration laws are followed.
This includes the comparison with former President Donald Trump, who made difficult immigration enforcement a center of his government.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., condemned the opening of the Carrizo Springs plant and accused the Biden team of having to find other ways to seek out teenage migrants for asylum.
“It’s not good, it’s never been good, it’s not going to be good either – regardless of the administration or party,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a heavy-handed tweet about the opening of the Texas facility.
It’s not good, it’s never been good, it’s not going to be good either – regardless of the administration or party. https://t.co/AEV7s7QQnB
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) 23 February 2021
Critics on the right have compared the housing of these children by Biden’s government to earlier accusations against his predecessor that he ‘put children in cages’.
Theresa Cardinal Brown, a former senior adviser on immigration in both the Bush and Obama administration, said the comparisons with the Trump administration were unfair and inaccurate.
It is true that the facilities were built by the Trump administration, but she said the agreements largely stop there.
These are not ‘kids in cages,’ “she said, referring to detention facilities run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Carrizo Springs facility is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, and it includes educational services and medical care.
Photos of the facility show how children stay in rooms with bunk beds and have access to sports facilities.
Brown said it is not as good as being in a person’s home, but the government should take time to ensure that children are placed in safe hands.
She said the Biden team inherited a hollowed-out immigration system. They can not just release the children without properly investigating potential sponsors. But they also need time to develop a new system.
“For many of the advocacy organizations that have seen bad things happen in the Trump administration, they are disappointed that Biden is reusing it,” Brown said. “But what are the alternatives the Biden government currently has at their disposal?”
Denise Bell, the researcher for rights for refugees and migrants at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement that the use of facilities such as those in Carrizo Springs could not be the ‘status quo’.
She agreed that it would take time to move away from the system that Biden’s government had inherited. But she said it was important for officials to limit the use of such shelters and go fast to rely only on licensed facilities. The Carrizo Springs shelters are not licensed by the state of Texas.
“A government agency is not a parent for children,” she said. “The reality is that children who are alone need to be accommodated for their safety, while the government identifies and reunites them with appropriate sponsors. We do not want to endanger children, and we do not want to keep them in detention or in facilities that meet to their best interests. ‘
