While U.S. taking steps to speed up release of asylum-seeking kids, advocates say concerns remain
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The Biden administration will allow officials to bypass policy that required relatives and other sponsors to have to pay for the flights of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in U.S. custody, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Government polWhile U.S. taking steps to speed up release of asylum-seeking kids, advocates say concerns remain
The Biden administration will allow officials to bypass policy that required relatives and other sponsors to have to pay for the flights of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in U.S. custody, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Government policy has typically required sponsors to have to pay for the transportation costs of children they’ve agreed to care for. But with costs ranging from the mid-hundreds to as high as $1,000 per child, costs have cruelly prolonged the harmful detention of children. The AP reports the administration is now allowing Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities to bypass this policy and assist some sponsors with fees as needed (though it’s unclear how many). The change is part of an effort by the Biden administration to expedite the release of children from facilities that have been forced to limit space due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Read more