COVID concerns over migrant children crowded into US facility as space runs low

More than 500 migrant children have been packed into plastic-walled rooms built for 32 people, sitting inches apart on mats with foil blankets at the largest US Customs and Border Protection holding facility for unaccompanied children. Key points: A facility in the US state of Texas designed to hold 250 people is holding more than 4,100 migrants The Biden administration has allowed journalists to see conditions for the first time since the facility opened last month More than 17,000 unaccompanied children were in US custody as of Monday CBP's main processing centre for children, a compound of white tents in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, is designed for 250 people under guidelines from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus pandemic. The Biden administration allowed journalists to see conditions for the first time on Tuesday local time since the facility opened on February 9 amid a spike in families and unaccompanied children crossing the border. US President Joe Biden has faced intense pressure to bring more transparency to how large numbers of migrant children are being treated 'We're not in the business of detention' The Border Patrol is apprehending more children daily than HHS is taking, leading to a severe backlog. About 250 to 300 children enter the Donna facility daily and far fewer leave, a "lopsided" difference that Mr Escamilla said was leading to more crowded conditions.