Immigrants in the U.S.

Faced with pressure from progressive supporters to deliver on immigration policy promises, the Biden administration is reportedly planning to buy plane tickets and take illegal immigrant minors to their relatives living in the United States.

This news comes after the immigration authorities had already entered full-blown crisis mode. The Biden administration is feeling the pressure as the president's soft stance on immigration is leading to unprecedented surges at the US southern border.

"We need to prepare for a border jump now", the new chief of staff of Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote on 12 February to senior agency officials, a report obtained by the Washington Times.

"We must begin to make changes immediately. We must prioritise action over cost considerations; do what is necessary and then the department will work on funding," he declared.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that in response to the influx of people, the Biden administration had reopened a Trump-era migrant child shelter to house minors who had illegally moved to the US unaccompanied by their parents.

The Washington Post reported this week that the number of immigrant minors in federal custody has tripled to 7,000 since January.

According to The Post, "The Biden administration is so concerned that there will not be enough shelter space for teenagers and children crossing the border without their parents that shelters are allowed to buy airfare and cover other transportation costs for minors whose relatives already live in the United States".

The new policy was reportedly outlined in an email from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement.