Adult migrants are held in border facilities too long amid Biden administration policy changes, sources say

President Joe Biden’s new asylum policy has contributed to migrants remaining in border facilities for more than 10 days and some for up to 30 days, multiple sources told CNN, as the administration toughens its posture on the US-Mexico border.

It’s US government policy that migrants should not be held for longer than 72 hours in US Customs and Border Protection facilities, which are ill-equipped for extended stays because they’ve historically only held migrants who could be quickly returned to their origin country. Time in custody has exceeded the 72 hours over the years amid shifting demographics and has been exacerbated in recent months following the Biden administration’s return to a decades-old protocol and changes to asylum processing.