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U.S. NEWS Saturday 22 June 2019
LOCK UPS care within 72 hours.
Continued from Front But federal officials have
He gave them a deadline said they have hit a break-
of July 12, tweeting: "Chil- ing point. That's in part be-
dren are being held in ap- cause over the last year, mi-
palling and unacceptable grant children have been
conditions. Detained chil- staying longer in federal
dren are being left to care custody than in the past,
for each other - including, leading to a shortage of
in one case, a two-year- beds in facilities designed
old who was left with no for longer-term stays.
diapers. @DHSgov needs The lawyers inspected the
to tell us what their plan is Border Patrol facilities as
to fix this, NOW." part of a Clinton-era legal
Republican Congressman agreement known as the
Will Hurd, whose district in- Flores settlement that gov-
cludes Clint, said the tragic erns detention conditions
conditions "further dem- for migrant children and
onstrates the immediate families.
need to reform asylum laws In an emailed statement
and provide supplemental Friday, Customs and Border
funding to address the hu- Protection said the agen-
manitarian crisis at our bor- cy leverages its limited
der." resources to provide "the
His Democratic counter- best care possible to those
part, Congresswoman Ve- in our custody, especially
ronica Escobar of El Paso, children." In this June 7, 2019, file photo, people cross the Rio Grande into the United States to turn them-
said she has already asked The statement said "our selves over to authorities and ask for asylum, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico,
the Customs and Border short-term holding facilities opposite El Paso, Texas.
Protection commissioner were not designed to hold Associated Press
for a "full accounting" of vulnerable populations
the situation. and we urgently need ad-
And Democratic Sen. Kirst- ditional humanitarian fund-
en Gillibrand blamed the ing to manage this crisis."
Trump administration's mis- In addition, the agency
management of the na- said all allegations of civil
tion's immigration system. rights abuses or mistreat-
"This is a dark moment for ment are taken seriously
our country, and history will and investigated.
not be kind to the perpe- Earlier this week, acting
trators of this cruelty," Gilli- Customs and Border Pro-
brand said. "All Americans tection Commissioner John
should be alarmed and Sanders urged Congress
demand an end to this im- to pass a $4.6 billion emer-
mediately." gency funding package
Border Patrol stations are that includes nearly $3 bil-
designed to hold people lion to care for unaccom-
for less than three days, but panied migrant children.
some children held in Clint He said Customs and Bor-
and McAllen have been der Protection stations
in there for weeks. Legally, are holding 15,000 people
migrants under 18 should — more than three times
be moved into Office of their maximum capacity of
Refugee Resettlement 4,000.q