DHS Finally Admits ‘Record’ Surge At Southern Border, Enlists FEMA To Detain Children

After weeks of claiming all is well at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday acknowledged that “record numbers” of foreigners are overwhelming U.S. agencies, prompting the department to call in help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“The federal government is responding to the arrival of record numbers of individuals, including unaccompanied children, at the southwest border. Since April 2020, the number of encounters at the border has been rising due to ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America,” DHS said. “The federal government is working around the clock to move unaccompanied children from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) care and to place them with a family member or sponsor until their immigration case is adjudicated.  The risks posed by the spread of COVID-19 have made this mission all the more difficult.”Mayorkas said FEMA will be used to get children out of Border Patrol custody more quickly. Under current law, unaccompanied children at the border must be transferred to federal shelters within 72 hours of being apprehended at the border, but the surge has made that difficult.

“FEMA is now integrated and co-located with HHS to look at every available option to quickly expand physical capacity for appropriate lodging. The workforce of DHS, including CBP, the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and volunteers from across the Department through the DHS Volunteer Force, will help to provide shelter capacity, security, and other support as needed,” Mayorkas said.