WATCH: McAleenan calls detention facilities 'appropriate setting' for migrants to await proceedings

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan defended changes around what he described as “family residential centers” that hold migrants at the border while they await immigration proceedings. The Trump administration moved last month to end the so-called Flores agreement, which limited the amount of time families could be held in detention facilities to 20 days.

When asked by the PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz about plans to keep the families and children in these facilities for an “indefinite” amount of time, McAleenan said “sure, there isn’t a hard number in terms of how long that proceeding could take,” but that the average stay is 40 to 50 days. That worries advocates who say any extended time in detention poses longterm risks to children's mental health.

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