Border Patrol facilities holding migrant children are "stretched beyond thin," independent monitor finds

U.S. government facilities holding migrant children along the border with Mexico are "stretched beyond thin," an independent monitor concluded after visiting the sites, saying acute overcrowding has created unsafe conditions for thousands of minors in U.S. custody.

In a report filed late Friday to the federal court in Los Angeles, two inspectors appointed by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee to monitor conditions faced by children in U.S. immigration custody detailed "severe overcrowding" at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities in south Texas. Social distancing was "functionally impossible" inside the holding facilities, the experts said, calling the level of overcrowding "not sustainable." In one over-capacity facility, there were not enough caregivers for the 500 migrant children under the age of 12 that were held there, the report said.