Biden Finally Allows Press Inside Immigration Compound At 1,600% Capacity

The press has finally been allowed inside a border control facility overwhelmed by a surge in migrants. ABC News was given access to document the massively over capacity holding facility, documenting the chaos that sparked outrage over child detentions.

The Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, Texas, was only meant to hold 250 detainees. As of Tuesday, it holds over 4,100.

The vast majority are children. Of the 3,400 minors, 2,000 have been confirmed by border patrol be have been held past the legal limit of 72 hours. The tight rooms are packed with people under mylar blankets for warmth.

"As I have said repeatedly, a Border Patrol facility is no place for a child," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. "We have been working around the clock, in coordination with HHS, to quickly move unaccompanied children out of these crowded Border Patrol stations and into the care of HHS so they can be placed with family members or other sponsors."

Officials say the conditions have been created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting backlog was paired with a surge in migrants that swamped border patrol facilities. Changes between the Biden and Trump administrations have also strained workers.

Under President Donald Trump, border patrol used hardline policies in an effort to deter immigrants. While undocumented immigrants can still face immediate expulsion under Biden, the vast majority now remain for standard processing.

Mexican officials have also exacerbated the problem of minor detainees: In February, 8,000 of 20,000 illegal immigrants apprehended were immediately expelled, but the Mexican state of Tamaulipas is reportedly refusing to take families with children under seven.