A total of 16,513 unaccompanied illegal alien minors were in the custody of either Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as of March 23, according to the HHS Administration for Children and Families. CBP had custody of 4,962 minors, while 11,551 were in the hands of the HHS. The Biden administration has committed to releasing a daily tally of the unaccompanied minors in custody amid growing pressure for transparency amid an escalating crisis on the southern border. CBP apprehends minors who cross the border illegally and holds them in custody until they are processed for transfer to HHS, which holds the minors until they are placed with a family member in the United States. The Biden administration’s practice is different from the one under former President Donald Trump, in which immigration authorities sent unaccompanied minors back to their home countries. Republicans say Biden’s decision to …