US officials are scrambling to build up a capacity to care for some 14,000 migrants now in federal custody as the situation at the Mexico border gets complex. Since Biden’s inauguration, the US has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. There were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children encountered in February, an increase of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month before, according to the Pew Research Center. Biden administration officials have repeatedly laid the blame for the current situation on the previous administration, arguing that Biden inherited a mess resulting from President Donald Trump's undermining and weakening of the immigration system.