Nearly 1,900 migrant children held in shelters amid family reunification delays

The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is responsible for caring for unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the U.S., but new policies have resulted in children being stranded in shelters for extended periods, according to CBS News.

One example highlighted is a 9-year-old girl from El Salvador who was held in a Houston-area shelter for over seven months, experiencing distress and health issues while awaiting reunification with her mother.

Her mother, who was detained despite having a pending asylum case and no criminal record, expressed that both are trapped in the system, illustrating the challenges faced by families trying to reunite.

As of September, nearly 1,900 children remain in shelters overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services' ORR, which was originally created to separate child care from immigration enforcement.

However, the second Trump administration reportedly restructured the ORR to support deportation efforts, including holding children longer and using them to target family members, as reported by CBS News.

This situation has raised concerns among families, lawyers, and child advocates about the impact on children's mental health and the effectiveness of the current immigration policies.