DHS denies press access to Mayorkas tour of southern border facilities
By Jonathan Easley - 03/19/21 11:23 AM EDT Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s visit to the southern border on Friday to assess the surge of child migrants will be closed to the press, fueling criticism of the Biden administration that it is not being transparent about conditions on the ground.
Mayorkas and a group of bipartisan senators will travel to El Paso, Texas, to view Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations and to receive a briefing on how unaccompanied minors are being processed, transferred and sheltered.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the visit would be closed to the press due to “privacy and COVID-19 precautions.â€
The federal government is in custody of 14,000 young migrants, many of whom made the dangerous journey from Central America to the U.S. seeking asylum.
The Biden administration is turning away adult migrants, but the decision to allow unaccompanied minors to stay in the country as their immigration status is processed has created a strain on the system and provoked worries about the well-being of children in U.S. custody.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/544027-mayorkas-to-visit-facilities-at-southern-border-in-closed-press-event
