US officials told the Washington Post: The immigration crisis worsens at the border because of teenagers

Administration officials of the US President, Joe Biden said they do not have the capacity to quickly add thousands of shelter beds to take care of the record numbers of immigrant teens and children stranded in crowded border guard posts as the new administration struggles to take care of the growing number of families and unaccompanied minors who cross from Mexico every day. .

The Washington Post reported that the latest Homeland Security numbers showed that in recent days, there were more than 3,500 unaccompanied teenagers and children stranded in steel and concrete holding cells designed for adults, waiting for the shelter beds to open.

Minors spend an average of 108 hours at border guard stations before they are taken to shelters run by the health and humanitarian services, which is much more than the maximum 72 hours required by law. More than 130 minors wait 10 days in US Customs and Border Protection custody.

Biden officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said they were working urgently to expedite the release of minors for parents and other relatives living in the United States, but this week they increased their shelter capacity by just 200 beds.

Internal figures show that the Ministry of Homeland Security's Refugee Office, which is responsible for caring for minors while identifying and examining eligible sponsors, is currently receiving three times the number of adolescents and children more than the number permitted entry.

The newspaper considered that the current situation resulted in an inflated crisis for the Biden administration at a time when the president seeks to present a large immigration bill that would provide a pathway to obtain US citizenship for millions of immigrants who lack legal status.

Biden promised to quickly rebuild the immigration system and make it more humane, and prominent Republicans are critical of his stance. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) and a group of Republicans plan to travel to South Texas on Monday to assess the crisis for themselves.