NYT reporter describes Biden migrant children's centers as 'jail-like facilities'

A reporter for The New York Times has described the facilities used by the Biden administration to contain unaccompanied minors who cross the US-Mexican border as "jail-like."

"The number of migrant children in custody along the border has tripled in the past two weeks to more than 3,250," wrote Times reporter Peter Baker. "[And] many of them are being held in jail-like facilities for longer than the three days allowed by law."

The Biden administration has faced criticism in recent weeks for their handling of a large influx of migrants attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico. The number of daily crossings by unaccompanied children has gone from 47 per day in January to over 300 by the beginning of March.

Progressives have accused the Biden administration of being too strict in enforcing border policies, suggesting that the President is continuing "inhumane" Trump-era approaches to border control.

Noting that the Trump administration was widely admonished for putting "kids in cages" when faced with an overflow of border crossings, conservatives have accused liberals and the media of using euphemisms such as "jail-like facilities" when describing Biden's migrant detention facilities.

Conservatives have also argued that Biden's border policy is too lenient and is directly contributing to the surge in border crossings, suggesting that the increase in crossings since January comes as a result of the Biden administration carrying a reputation for leniency towards illegal immigration, in stark contrast with the Trump administration's strict approach to border control.