Over 800 unaccompanied migrant kids apprehended at the border in a single day as numbers surge

More than 800 unaccompanied migrant children were apprehended in a single day this week, as the numbers of migrants coming to the southern border continue to surge with no sign of slowing down despite the heat of the summer months.

Health and Human Services announced that 834 unaccompanied children and teenagers were apprehended on Thursday, significantly higher than the 30-day average of 512.

It means that there are a total 2,784 children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody, and 14,523 in HHS custody. The Biden administration has focused on transferring children apprehended at the border from CBP to HHS custody and then to sponsors or parents already in the country – often illegally themselves. On Thursday, 612 children were discharged from HHS custody to parents or guardians.

The numbers reflect a continuing surge at the southern border and a sign that the border crisis that has dogged the Biden administration is unlikely to stop any time soon. The extreme heat of the summer months often acts to deter making the journey north in past years, but the numbers have shown no sign of slowing down.

The Biden administration has been expelling single adults and some migrant families via Title 42 public health protections related to the COVID-19 pandemic but has not been expelling unaccompanied children or migrant families with small children.

More than 188,000 migrants were encountered in June, including increases in UACs and migrant family units. The Associated Press reported this week that that number is expected to rise to more than 210,000 for July. That’s compared to about 78,000 when President Biden took office in January, and about 33,000 encounters in June 2020. – READ MORE