Number of migrant children detained on southern U.S. border has tripled over past two weeks

The number of unaccompanied minors detained at the U.S.-Mexico border has tripled in the past two weeks, as the Biden administration struggles to find enough adequate shelters for the children.

The number of minors detained at the border is now 3,250, with over 1,360 of them having been detained longer than the 72 hours permitted by law before being moved to a shelter, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The laws for unaccompanied migrant children are different than those for families or adults. Whereas families and adults can be turned away from entering the country, unaccompanied minors are taken into custody, held for at most three days, then sent to a shelter or with a government-vetted adult.

However, the Biden administration is having trouble finding space to put the children, with more than 5,800 unaccompanied children found in January, an increase of more than 1,000 from October 2020, according to the documents.

One of the problems is few children can stay in shelters because of the coronavirus pandemic, in which people are being required to keep further apart than usual in indoor spaces. However, the administration has lifted at least some such restrictions on overflow facilities and shelters to help mitigate overcrowding, the Times also reports.

The shelters in which the minors are housed are 13 days away from "maximum capacity," according to the reporting.

This influx follows the Biden administration reopening a migrant detention facility in February in Carrizo Springs, Texas.