WASHINGTON: A total of 8,800 migrant children who came to the United States alone are in federal care facilities, a US Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson told Sputnik.
“Currently, there are approximately 8,800 unaccompanied children (UC) in ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) care,“ the spokesperson said on Thursday.
On Feb 18, there were about 6,800 unaccompanied migrant children under the care of the ORR.
HHS in a fact sheet released on March 1 said the average length of time migrant children spend in federal care facilities was 42 days.
The United States has seen an influx of unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the US-Mexico border since October.
Data from US Customs and Border Protection shows 9,457 unaccompanied migrant children were apprehended at the southern border in February, which is a substantial increase from the 5,858 unaccompanied migrant children apprehended in January.
Last month, influx caused the Biden administration to open a facility in Carizzo Springs, Texas, that can house up to 700 migrant children. — Bernama
