'All-time high': More than 16,500 illegal immigrant minors are in CBP and HHS custody

Over 5,000 more children are in custody for crossing the border than the previous high in 2019, which was 11,000.

The total number of illegal migrant children held in custody at the border either by Customs and Border Patrol or the Department of Health and Human Services has reached a total of 16,513, which far surpasses the number of unaccompanied minors held at the border during the previous peak, in May 2019.

CBP is currently holding 4,962 of the minors, while the other 11,551 are being held by HHS, reported The Epoch Times.

According to a CBS News analysis, the number of unaccompanied minor children apprehended at the border in March 2021 is an "all-time high," surpassing the previous record of around 11,000 apprehended in May 2019.

A separate CNN study showed that children make up half of all migrants detained at the border. March's numbers have already eclipsed the number of children apprehended in January and February of 2021. Around 70% of children are held for longer than the prescribed 72-hour legal limit, with an average holding time of 130 hours.

In response, the government is set to open at least nine emergency housing facilities with 11,000 emergency beds.

"They are not meant for children, and that's why he wants to open more shelters and increase and expedite processing at the border," Psaki told CNN on Monday. "And that's an issue he's focused on every single day."

Recently, President Biden appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee the border. The Biden administration has yet to call it a "crisis," insisting that it is a "challenge" instead.