Keller @ Large: Record Number Of Unaccompanied Children In Custody At Border

BOSTON (CBS) - "We're coming for the American dream, and to ask for asylum," says a Guatemalan fleeing his country's grinding poverty with his family in tow. And along with families like his, the Texas border is seeing a record-shattering influx of unaccompanied children, overwhelming the government's shelter capacity.

More than 7,000 minors were taken into custody during February, 1,500 more during the first few days of March. There aren't enough beds to accommodate them all.

It's a crisis we've seen before in recent years, and the political fallout is familiar as well.

"The Biden administration's agenda is to open America's borders," says Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana). "When you say that you're not going to enforce our immigration laws, when you say that you're not going to build a border wall - it has consequences," adds Rep. Liz Cheney (R- Wyoming).

Biden has never advocated "open borders," and the sudden deluge of migrants has to do with a range of factors, including the collapse of Latin American economies due to the pandemic and natural disasters along with a perception that US border policies would be more friendly under the new administration. But even as the White House rejects the "crisis label," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki seemed to acknowledge the latter factor Tuesday when she said "we are working to convey to the people of the region that this is not the time to come, you will be turned away."

The president sent several top advisers to Texas this weekend to survey the situation and propose short-term solutions. And Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas dove right into political finger-pointing mode a few days ago by claiming "the prior administration dismantled our nation's immigration system in its entirety…. It takes time to build out of the depths of cruelty."

If there's any serious bipartisan discussion of what to do about this recurring mess, it is drowned out by the echoes of past political vitriol, like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott claiming Tuesday that Biden policies had unleashed a wave of criminal aliens, a scare tactic flashback to the 2018 campaign season.

Clear messaging, humane policy, and proper funding of a response to the border situation will depend on some level of partisan cooperation and seriousness. But this is immigration we're talking about, the hottest political button of our time. So, don't hold your breath waiting for goodwill and thoughtfulness to prevail.