Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Some Facts About Immigrant Children in US Custody
By admin
Published 7 years ago on
January 2, 2018

Share

The deaths of two migrant children in U.S. custody last month are bringing increased attention to how the nation is grappling with a surge of families and children traveling alone across the southern border, especially from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
The Christmas Eve death of an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy in New Mexico follows the Dec. 8 death of another Guatemalan child, a 7-year-old girl. The U.S. government’s system for detaining migrants crossing the border is severely overtaxed, and the children’s deaths come amid the dispute between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall.
Here are some things to know about immigrant children in U.S. custody:

Children in Custody

Most children initially are taken into the custody by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which typically holds them for no more than a few days. With border crossings surging, CBP reported that border agents detained 5,283 children who weren’t accompanied by a parent in November alone. Agents last month also apprehended 25,172 “family units,” or parents and children together.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, would not say how many children are in Border Patrol custody.
Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, would not say how many children are in Border Patrol custody.
But the federal agency that is often next to oversee the care of migrant children, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, reported that it had 14,314 migrant youth in its custody as of Dec. 17. Most of those — about 11,600 — are being housed by the five largest providers: Austin, Texas-based Southwest Key; San Antonio-based BCFS Health and Human Services; Comprehensive Health Services Inc., based in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Cayuga Centers in Auburn, New York; and Chicago-based Heartland Alliance.

Who Are These Children?

The kids in these programs range in age from toddlers to 17-year-olds. The vast majority crossed the border without their parents, but some were separated from their families at the border earlier this year.

Where Are They Staying?

The care they receive varies greatly across a network of providers that has included 150 different facilities over the last 20 months in 17 states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington state. Some children live with foster families and are treated to Broadway shows, while others sleep in canvas tents in the Texas desert.

Are Those Numbers Increasing?

The number of migrant children caught by immigration officials and turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement has dropped under Trump: there were 49,100 during the 2018 fiscal year, compared to a high of 59,170 during the 2016 fiscal year, when a surge of youth border crossings led the Obama administration to open emergency shelters at military bases.

How Long Are Children Staying in Custody?

The average length of stay has increased from about 34 days in January 2016 to around 60 days, according to government reports. In October, the average length of stay reached 89 days, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services provided to members of Congress, who shared it with the AP.

How Much Does It Cost?

The ORR migrant children’s program has already cost taxpayers more than $1.5 billion, according to federal grant disclosures. Another $1.1 billion has been requested as part of the 2019 budget.

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

Bomb Cyclone Kills 1 and Knocks Out Power to Over Half a Million Homes Across the Northwest US

UP NEXT

Volunteers Came Back to Nonprofits in 2023, After the Pandemic Tanked Participation

UP NEXT

New Study: Proposed Trump Tariffs Could Cost US Consumers $78 Billion a Year

UP NEXT

Riders Stuck in Midair for Over 2 Hours on Knott’s Berry Farm Ride

UP NEXT

Shouting Racial Slurs, Neo-Nazi Marchers Shock Ohio’s Capital

UP NEXT

More Logging Is Proposed to Help Curb Wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

UP NEXT

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

UP NEXT

Warren Slams Biden Admin for Failing to Hold Israel Accountable on Gaza Aid

UP NEXT

Suicides in the US Military Increased in 2023, Continuing a Long-Term Trend

UP NEXT

New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

2 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

2 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

2 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

3 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

3 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

4 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

4 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

4 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

4 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

5 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

16 minutes ago

16 minutes ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

1 hour ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

1 hour ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

2 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

2 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

3 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
3 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend