Following the death of a second migrant child in federal immigration custody in the past month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says systems for dealing with border security and migrants are being pushed to the “breaking point.”
“Our system has been pushed to a breaking point by those who seek open borders,” DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a written statement. “Smugglers, traffickers, and their own parents put these minors at risk by embarking on the dangerous and arduous journey north. This crisis is exacerbated by the increase in persons who are entering our custody suffering from severe respiratory illnesses or exhibit some other illness upon apprehension.”
Border Patrol agents apprehended 139,817 migrants in the past two months, she explained. This compares to 74,946 during the same period the year before. Of those apprehended, 68,510 were family units and 13,981 unaccompanied minors. The secretary said the problem has only “become starker in December.”
“Given the remote locations of their illegal crossing and the lack of resources,” the secretary explained, “it is even more difficult for our personnel to be first responders.”