Improves Humanitarian Care for Unaccompanied Alien Children and Migrant Families and at the Southwest Border
Texas Border Business
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) helped secure $200,000,000 in the FY19 Border Emergency Supplemental Appropriations House Bill to create a multi-agency, integrated, migrant processing center pilot program for family units and unaccompanied alien children (UAC). Due to limited bed space at the 168 facilities and programs Health and Human Services operates, over 2,000 unaccompanied children are currently in CBP custody waiting for days in border stations that are not designed to care for children. The pilot facility will assist federal agencies to quickly process unaccompanied alien children and families while in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody to protect the safety of these migrants. This bill is scheduled for voting on the U.S. House floor on Tuesday.
“Our current immigration system is unable to detain, care for and quickly decide the fate of tens of thousands of people who are arriving at our southern border. At the current pace, nearly 100,000 migrants arrive at our border each month. More than a million people will have tried to cross the border in a 12-month period. Some Border Patrol stations are at 300 percent to 400 percent capacity. The influx of migrants has strained existing resources to a breaking point.
“As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I have worked hard to ensure all relevant agencies have the proper resources and funding to enforce our immigration laws. This multi-agency migrant center will improve CBP’s ability to safely, securely, and humanely process and care for unaccompanied alien children and migrant families.”
“I would like to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairwoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Appropriations members on both sides of the aisle for working to help these migrant children and families that are victims of our broken immigration system.”
By creating a single facility for DHS’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), DOJ’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), and HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to work together, migrant families and children who arrive at the southwest border can be processed quicker, resulting briefer periods of detainment, and ensuring proper assessments of child welfare and health needs are conducted immediately. Proper food, shelter, hygiene services and supplies, clothing, and activities appropriate for the detention of families will be provided here. In addition, free telephonic communication access, including support for contacting family members will be facilitated. Direct access to legal orientation, legal representation, and case management in private areas of the center will also be provided.
With the FY19 Emergency Border Supplemental’s passage in the House, it will then head to the Senate for reconciliation.
A summary of the FY19 Emergency Border Supplemental Appropriations House Bill is here.
 helped secure $200,000,000 in the FY19 Border Emergency Supplemental Appropriations House Bill to create a multi-agency, integrated, migrant processing center pilot program for family units and unaccompanied alien children (UAC).){kind=link}