Recent news that the federal government intends to send additional unaccompanied minors from the Mexican border to Midland was received with criticism by Mayor Patrick Payton, who said officials had doubted the sincerity of a halt by the federal government.
Payton shared on Facebook that he had learned the federal government had transported an additional 21 unaccompanied minors to Midland.
“We doubted the sincerity of the feds to begin with, but after telling us they were not planning on bringing anymore unaccompanied teenagers to Midland, it is now confirmed they have brought 21 more,” Payton said.
Payton said that chaos is spreading all across the border Texas shares with Mexico, and then charter planes are transporting the issue to places unknown.
“City, county and all elected officials and staff [are] doing all they can, but the feds are hard to stop,” Payton said.
News West 9 reported that the most recent count of minors being held at a Midland facility was 485 boys between the ages of 15 and 17. However, not just local officials but even the state government continues to encounter problems in getting any kind of information out of the federal government.
“Information changes moment by moment but it shows how ill-prepared the Biden admin was for their open border policy which was triggered the day the president took office,” Gov. Greg Abbott said according to NewsWest 9. “This is their fault, they created this problem. Texas is stepping up in trying to deal with these challenges and try to make sure that the people of Midland and Ector counties are going to be as safe as possible.”
In addition to other concerns with the reluctance of the federal government to share information are concerns regarding COVID-19, whether workers at the facility are exposed to migrants who have tested positive, as well as what protocols are being followed, NewsWest9 reported.