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New CBP video shows conditions inside Donna tent facility

3 years 1 month 2 days ago Wednesday, March 24 2021 Mar 24, 2021 March 24, 2021 11:48 AM March 24, 2021 in News - Local
By: KRGV staff

Video and photos released Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection show the conditions inside two migrant detention centers in Texas, including the Donna tent facility.

Nearly 4,000 migrants are being held inside at the facility in Donna, but it’s only meant to hold 250 people, according to ABC News.

The Biden administration is facing mounting pressure to improve the living conditions for migrants on the border.

READ ALSO: Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecy  

In a statement released Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Brownsville) said there is no perfect fix for the situation.

“The administration is doing the right thing because the law requires that we process unaccompanied minors,” Vela said in the statement. “However, we are in the middle of a pandemic and our systems are being overwhelmed. At some point, it is important to take a practical approach. Thirteen percent of the UACs are under the age of 12. One logical approach to this situation would be to return the older teenagers to their home country and provide funding for an effort supervised by the United Nations to properly care for those teenagers upon their return. Then, once the pandemic is under control you could phase the program back in so that there would be some semblance of control over the process. I think that this would help relieve the current burden.”

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) also weighing in, saying the Biden administration is overwhelmed.

“The administration has all the good intentions,” Cuellar said in an interview on ABC News Prime. “They want to treat the kids in a humane way, but in trying to do this, their good intentions are being overwhelmed in numbers.”

“The young kids that are really so close together—it’s terrible under a regular circumstance,” Cuellar continued. “But when you add a pandemic on top of that, those pictures can be disturbing.”

READ ALSO: DPS ride-along: Seeing the latest migrant surge in the Valley  

The government plans to open a second migrant holding facility in Carrizo Springs, which is expected to accommodate approximately 500 children, according to HHS Administration for Children and Families.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has asked the Pentagon for permission to house migrant children at two military bases in Texas.

Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday sent a letter to President Biden demanding answers to the humanitarian crisis on the Texas border.

Read Abbott’s entire letter here.

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