Shelters holding nearly 15,000 migrant children near capacity

Immigration attorneys and advocates worry about the potential side effects of the extended detention times and argue that not only is the confinement excessive but is a violation of the children’s rights.

“They can say it’s just to vet; but it’s to target parents and to put fear on immigrant families,” said Sophia Gregg, an attorney for Legal Aid Justice Center, a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy and legal support to immigrant communities.