Border Patrol: Despite new temporary shelters for migrants in Texas numbers rise
Border Patrol: Despite new temporary shelters for migrants in Texas numbers rise
John Moritz, Corpus Christi Caller TimesPublished 3:40 p.m. MT May 7, 2019
U.S Customs and Border Protection’s New Temporary Detention Facility Courtney M Sacco, Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Even with the new 40,000-square foot temporary shelter in South Texas, officials say capacity is still strained.
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Less than a week after opening a 40,000-square-foot tent complex to temporarily house migrants crossing the lower Rio Grande, federal immigration authorities say the pace of apprehensions continues to overwhelm shelter capacity.
The U.S. Border Patrol said Tuesday that agents from Brownsville to Roma apprehended more than 2,400 undocumented immigrants on Saturday. Most of them were part of family units and unaccompanied children.
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...unds&auto=webpA migrant is searched before being transported after being taken in to custody by Border Patrol near Mission, Texas, after tracking them trough a field on Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2019. (Photo: Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times)
On Thursday, Border Patrol officials opened the tented unit in the town of Donna, between Brownsville and McAllen, which can hold up to 500 people. The majority of immigrants to the shelter stay about 48 hours, officials said. El Paso also has a similar temporary facility.
During the past week more than 10,000 migrants were apprehended, "making it one of the highest weekly total ever experienced in this sector," the Border Patrol said in a news release.
Currently there are more than 7,000 migrants being held in custody at Border Patrol stations and processing centers.
The Border Patrol said the Rio Grande Valley Sector is expected to surpass "the mass migration influx" last seen in 2014.
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...unds&auto=webpCustoms and Border Protection agents in the intake room at U.S Customs and Border Protection's new temporary detention facility for migrants near the Donna-Rio International Bridge in Donna, Texas, on Thursday, May 2, 2019. (Photo: Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times)
“We’ve exceeded our capacity and we’re doing all we can to house migrants in a humane place and transfer them in and out in a timely fashion as none of the Border Patrol facilities, including the one in Donna, are meant to be a long term detention centers,” said Rodolfo Karisch, Border Patrol chief in the Rio Grande Sector.
John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.
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