A chronology of events related to U.S. border governance and migration
Refugio del Migrante, a lesbian-run migrant shelter in Mexicali was destroyed in a fire on Friday morning. Though no one was injured in the fire, 152 migrants, including 22 minors, have been displaced without shelter. According to a local newspaper, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in one of the shelter bedrooms. The shelter was run by Centro Comunitario de Bienestar Social (COBINA), a group based in Mexicali serving LGBTQ+ people as well as other vulnerable populations.
Six emergency housing facilities in Texas and California are set to close in the coming weeks as the number of unaccompanied children in U.S. custody has begun to slowly decrease. This is a result of efforts made to expedite the process of releasing children to family in the U.S., as well as declining border apprehensions. The number of children held at emergency sites has also decreased.
Testimonials from a court case on Monday revealed inadequate and unlivable conditions for migrant children being held in emergency shelters along the border. The testimonials described overcrowding, spoiled food, a lack of clean clothes, and an absence of mental health resources available for the children, many of whom are struggling with depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. Some children have been held for months in these emergency shelters. Despite the Biden administration’s promises of a more human approach to immigration, many testimonials indicate that they are struggling to provide for these children’s most basic needs.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement has directed shelters to expedite the release of some unaccompanied minors with parents or legal guardians in the U.S. to reduce strained capacity at shelters.
Shelters overseen by the US government received more than 7,000 migrant children in February 2021, according to government data. This represents a record number for that month during any year.