Number of children held in Border Patrol facilities drops 84% since peak last month

Yesterday, CNN published a story highlighting the drastic decrease in minors held in Border Patrol facilities in the past month, down from a peak of 5,767 children on March 28 to 954 children as of April 29.

The change is largely due to the Department of Health and Human Services’ ongoing efforts to open temporary shelters across the country to house minors while the Office of Refugee Resettlement attempts to connect them with family or sponsors in the U.S.

A White House official also noted a sharp decrease in length of stay for minors in border facilities, sharing with CNN: “The average time that kids are in CBP custody is now 28 hours, compared to 133 hours on March 28, the official said, a nearly 80% reduction in time spent in Border Patrol detention.”

“The administration stood up a whole government effort in the face of a pandemic and a gutted immigration system and despite those challenges, we’ve made significant progress,” the official added.

CNN: Number of children held in Border Patrol facilities drops 84% since peak last month