Hundreds of illegally separated children from their parents were stuck at the border due to the lack of places in their centers.

The border control and child care services are running out of places for holding illegal children who were separated from their parents while trying to cross the American border, as part of a “zero tolerance” policy pursued by the administration of President Donald Trump.

Фото: Depositphotos

This is evidenced by the documents received by the publication. NBC News, as well as data of two US officials who wished to preserve anonymity.

As of June 3, about 300 of the 550 children currently in U.S. border custody had spent more than 72 hours there, the maximum amount of time immigrants of any age can stay in government detention facilities. Almost half of these 300 children are under 12 years old.

Stations under the control of the border patrol are a temporary first stop for children detained at the border. Often there are no bedding and separate rooms for sleeping children.

“It would be highly inappropriate and even unsafe to hold children for long periods of time at these short-term border stations because they often lack adequate medical resources and nutrition for children. It will put children at risk if they are placed in the same premises with adults without the proper privacy that children in such situations should have,” said Greg Chen, a member of the United States Immigration Lawyers Association.

The increased tenure at border stations is the result of a deficiency on the part of the United States Health and Social Services (HHS), which is responsible for keeping immigrant children for a longer period, as well as their further transfer to relatives or adoptive parents in the United States. The Administration for Children and Families, which is part of the Service, currently has 11 200 children in its care, on average, it takes about 45 days to transfer one child to a sponsor or foster family.

HHS officials intend to inspect the military facilities near the border in Texas in search of options for expanding facilities to accommodate children, including those that are now stuck at border stations. The Air Force bases Dyes and Gudfelow, as well as Fort Bliss, are under consideration, however, according to the HHS press service, the decision has not yet been made on this facility.

According to one of the former White House officials, military bases were used to house immigrant children earlier, but only in extreme cases.

In May 2018, the Trump administration began to apply a “zero tolerance” policy on the southern border of the United States, bringing charges against anyone who illegally crossed the country's border.

The procedure for bringing such charges involves the separation of children and parents.

Two HHS employees said that the agency did not receive adequate warnings about the new policy and was not prepared for the increased influx of illegal children.

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