Number of unaccompanied migrant kids in US Border Patrol custody hitting record high: data

WASHINGTON -- The number of unaccompanied migrant children in US Border Patrol facilities has exceeded 3,200 and thus hit a new high, according to internal agency documents dated on Monday.

Among them, some 2,600 were awaiting placement in shelters suitable for minors, but there were just over 500 beds available to accommodate them, said a CNN report.

Furthermore, nearly 170 unaccompanied children stuck in Border Patrol custody are under the age of 13, according to the documents.

The data reveals the continued bottleneck in the US immigration system, with more migrant children coming into custody than the US government is prepared to care for, local analysts say.