(The Center Square) – Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding answers to the humanitarian crisis at the southern border.

Since January, more than 11,000 unaccompanied illegal immigrant minors have been apprehended crossing the U.S.-Mexican border into Texas, the governor reports.

From January to February, the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally increased by 60 percent.

In February alone, more than 9,400 children were apprehended crossing the border into Texas.

“Those numbers continue to increase in March, with no end in sight,” Abbott says.

“We have a duty to investigate these border crossings so we can protect the victims of human trafficking that have already crossed our borders, crack down on the perpetrators of this heinous crime, and ensure federal policies do not allow – or even incentivize – such behavior,” Abbott wrote to Biden. “We must send a clear message to these criminals that human trafficking will not be tolerated in America, and that we will use every available resource to stop this abuse of basic human rights.”

In his letter, Abbott urged the president and his administration to interview every unaccompanied minor coming across the border to determine if any of them have been harmed, groomed or victimized by human traffickers in any way. He also demanded that the Biden administration make clear what it is doing to prosecute human traffickers.

“Recent decisions by your administration are emboldening dangerous cartels, smugglers, and human traffickers to ramp up their criminal operations,” Abbott wrote. “In many cases, these criminals entice unaccompanied minors into inhumane conditions and expose them to abuse and terror. We have a duty to investigate these border crossings so we can protect the victims of human trafficking that have already crossed our borders, crack down on the perpetrators of this heinous crime, and ensure federal policies do not allow – or even incentivize – such behavior.”

Abbott asked Biden and his administration to answer a number of questions, including:

• How are these children coming across the border and who is helping them get here?
• Were these children abused or harmed in any way on their journey?
• Were these children forced to carry contraband into the United States?
• Were these children or their families assisted, coerced, and threatened by cartel members or human traffickers?
• Are these children being effectively screened by appropriately trained personnel to identify potential victims of abuse, assault, and trafficking? What is the screening tool being used?
• How many victims of physical abuse, sexual assault, or trafficking has your administration identified?
• What specific measures can you point to that confirm that these children are not released to human traffickers in the United States?

The Biden administration maintains there is no humanitarian crisis at the border and that their approach is more humane than previous administration policies.