WASHINGTON – On Friday, May 7, 2021, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas led a Congressional Delegation to Donna, Texas to receive an update on unaccompanied children arriving at our Southern Border and view conditions at the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Donna Processing Facility. The delegation was provided an overview of the progress being made at Donna and facilities across the Southern Border to decrease the amount of time unaccompanied children remain in CBP custody.
“The Biden-Harris Administration inherited a dismantled system plagued by chaos and cruelty, and I was proud today to show members of the Congressional delegation who have been leading the effort to reform our immigration system the dramatic progress we have made so far,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “The DHS workforce – especially the Border Patrol and our USCIS and FEMA employees – have gone beyond the call of duty to respond to this challenge while protecting our homeland consistent with our values as a Nation.”
While in Texas, Secretary Mayorkas and the delegation discussed the steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to address the challenge at the border, including improved processing of unaccompanied children, removing barriers to place children with parents and sponsors, putting in place orderly processes and protocols, cracking down on smugglers, enhancing migration management, and more.
“This is just the beginning – there is a lot of work to do, and we need permanent solutions to fix our broken immigration system,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “We must restore trust in our immigration system, re-open and reform our asylum process, and secure the Southwest Border by addressing the root causes of migration, while adhering to the improved health and safety measures we put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Secretary Mayorkas and the delegation also discussed how best to address the root causes of irregular migration and restore safe, orderly, and humane asylum processing.
Officials who participated in the trip:
- Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas
- U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40)
- U.S. Representative Linda Sánchez (CA-38)
- U.S. Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44)
- U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX-29)
- U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16)
