Mother of Ukrainian teen detained at the US-Mexico border says she doesn't know where he is: 'If I knew this would happen, I would have kept him here in the war zone'

• Thousands of Ukrainians have tried to cross into the US from Mexico since the start of Russia's invasion.
• Iryna Merezhko told NPR she went to Ukraine from Los Angeles, to bring her nephew here for safety.

A 14-year-old Ukrainian refugee who fled the war and came to the US with his aunt was detained at the US-Mexico border and his family has not heard from him, NPR reported.

Iryna Merezhko went to Ukraine to bring her nephew, Ivan, to stay with her in Los Angeles. They arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, and made their way to the San Diego border where Merezhko planned to ask border patrol to allow Ivan into the US on humanitarian grounds.

Merezhko told NPR that she knew that because she wasn't his mother, Ivan might be detained and was told he would be detained for a day or two.

Ivan's family has not heard from him since he was detained on April 8 and are unsure if he's even in California. Merezhko told NPR that following Ivan's detention, she received a call from an official that said he could be held for up to 30 days.

"If I knew this would happen, I would have kept him here in the war zone," Ivan's mother, Catarina, said on a phone call from Ukraine, according to Merezhko. "At least I would know where he is."

Department of Homeland Security data shows that 9,926 undocumented Ukrainians have been processed by authorities at US-Mexico border ports of entry between the beginning of February and April 6, but it's unclear how many of them have been granted asylum.

The Biden administration has promised to take in up to 100,000 Ukrainians, as millions flee the country following Russia's invasion. The Mexican city of Tijuana, where Merezhko and Ivan arrived to cross into the US, has seen an influx of Ukrainian arrivals, with a makeshift refugee camp popping up near the border.

Earlier this month, Enrique Lucero, Tijuana's migration affairs director, told Reuters about 40% of those arriving in the city are children.

NPR reported that the law requires unaccompanied minors who arrive at the border to be turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Those children are then placed in a network of detention centers for minors as officials determine if the adult that's expected to care for them in the US is qualified.

Data from the Department of Health and Human Services, which the ORR falls under, shows that children stayed in ORR care for an average of 37 days in 2021.

A spokesman for DHS told NPR that the detained children meet with a case manager at least weekly and "have access to medical treatment, legal services, translation services, and mental and behavioral health counselors and are able to connect with family at least twice a week."