EXCLUSIVE: Feds Bus Migrant Children to Texas Border Towns from Overcrowded Rio Grande Valley Facilities

Border Patrol agents processing unaccompanied minors. (Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Prot
File Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Hector Silva

Law enforcement sources report that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is busing hundreds of unaccompanied children (UACs) from the Rio Grande Valley to other border communities to alleviate overcrowding.

The UACs are transferring to Laredo, Carrizo Springs, and Eagle Pass, Texas, for processing and temporary detention. The children are stuck in limbo at Border Patrol stations as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) struggles to place them in suitable shelter facilities before release.

The movement of the UACs should come as no surprise. Apprehensions climbed steadily over the past weeks with nearly 2,000 arrests by Border Patrol on Saturday alone. Nearly 600 of those were unaccompanied children.

In a visit to the Texas border region on the same day, senior Biden Administration officials toured a Border Patrol Station and a Health and Human Services detention facility for UACs. Media were not permitted to accompany the delegation, so little is known about the visit.

Another senior CBP official is making a visit to the Rio Grande Valley. Sources report that Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott is currently meeting with overwhelmed Border Patrol agents and exploring solutions for the UAC situation. There has been minimal news coverage of the visit, signaling that a previously reported media blackout continues.

Law enforcement sources indicate “got-away” numbers are on the rise as Border Patrol agents struggle to deal with humanitarian needs in lieu of conducting routine patrol activities. February apprehension statistics are set to be released later this week.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas Sector.

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