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Fact Sheets

President Donald J. Trump Is Calling on Congress to Provide More Resources to Respond to the Humanitarian Crisis at the Border

Immigration

Issued on:

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE: President Donald J. Trump is asking Congress for an additional $4.5 billion for humanitarian response and border operations.

  • The Trump Administration is seeking a supplemental appropriation of $4.5 billion to address the immediate humanitarian crisis on the southern border.
  • $3.3 billion of this request will fund humanitarian assistance, including funds to increase shelter capacity, to feed and care for migrants in custody, and for transportation.
    • More than $2.8 billion will go to increase Health and Human Services (HHS) shelter capacity for Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) to approximately 23,600 beds.
    • Department of Homeland Security will receive $273 million to stand up, operate, and secure processing centers at the southern border, increasing its capacity by 3,500 beds.
  • $1.1 billion will go to border operations, including personnel expenses, additional detention beds, and operations combating human smuggling and trafficking.
  • $178 million will be used to fund mission support, including $10 million to improve migrant processing by upgrading information technology systems.

URGENT CRISIS AT THE BORDER: We are experiencing an overwhelming surge of migrants flooding to our border, many of whom are minors and families who require extensive care.

  • Apprehensions could reach one million by the end of the year, which would be more than double the number of apprehensions last year.
  • Border Patrol has apprehended more than 455,000 migrants already this fiscal year (FY), which is approximately 245,000 more apprehensions than during the same period in FY 2018.
  • The demographics of migrants arriving at our border have changed dramatically, from single adults to family units and UAC.
    • Migrant families have made up 53 percent of apprehensions so far this FY, up from 25 percent in FY 2017.
    • The number of UAC referred to HHS has increased by almost 50 percent over last year.
    • This shift in demographics has stressed a system mainly designed for single adults.
  • There has been a significant increase in large groups arriving at our border, mainly comprised of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras claiming asylum.

CONGRESS MUST ACT: The surge of migrants arriving at our southern border has strained existing resources to a breaking point.

  • The Federal Government is struggling to support and care for the overwhelming surge of migrants arriving at our border, especially the vast numbers of UAC and families.
  • HHS is at risk of exhausting all of its UAC resources in June. Without additional funds, it will be unable to handle the growth in the UAC population and will have to scale back services.
  • Currently, DHS projects that it will exhaust its resources well before the end of the FY.
  • Congress must appropriate these funds expeditiously so the agencies and front-line professionals have the resources they need to care for migrants.
  • While immediate action is needed to address this crisis, Congress must also work to close immigration loopholes that incentivize migrants to flood to our border.
    • Otherwise, taxpayers will continue to pay for managing this surge of migrants.