However, hundreds of children waiting to be placed in DHHS’s system are being detained by the US Border Patrol in tent facilities or large, cold cells unequipped to hold minors. Point to be noted that lifting pandemic-related caps could increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus within the DHHS facilities, especially as more children enter the system. But the organizations running under DHHS facilities and some advocates have pushed for more beds to be made available if done safely, instead of the alternative of keeping kids in Border Patrol facilities longer or placing them in costly, unlicensed emergency centers. The memo was first reported by CNN, which says, “Given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no 0% risk scenario, particularly in congregate settings”.
The memo added, “Therefore, ORR facilities should plan for and expect to have COVID-19 cases”. The DHHS has previously authorized facility operators to bill the government for travel expenses when a child is released to a parent or other sponsor. Some families cannot easily afford the hundreds of dollars to fly a child and a guardian, and disputes over payment can sometimes delay a child’s release for several days. Agents are apprehending around 400 children a day unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, a sharp increase since last month. There are concerns that those numbers will continue to rise. President Biden has now ended a practice under former President Donald Trump of expelling unaccompanied children under a public-health declaration enacted during the pandemic.
