The reporters allowed inside described extreme levels of overcrowding, including one detention “pod” with 516 minors despite a pandemic-rated capacity of 32 people. The Biden administration is on pace to take in more than 17,000 unaccompanied minors this month, far higher than the previous record of 11,861 in May 2019. Earlier this month HHS said the positivity rate inside its shelter facilities was 4.5 percent, a figure that appears to indicate significantly more teenagers and children may be acquiring infections in the cramped CBP tents. The Biden administration is setting up at least nine temporary shelter sites run by FEMA and HHS to accommodate the record numbers of minors in government care. The addition of thousands of emergency beds this week is expected to alleviate the crisis-level conditions the Biden administration has faced for weeks.

Source: Washington Post March 30, 2021 20:46 UTC