Migrant children sent to emergency shelters within the United States described crowded living conditions, spoiled food, lack of clean clothes and struggles with depression, according to 17 testimonials filed in a court case on Monday.

The children, aged nine to 17 and largely from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, in some cases spoke of waiting for months inside emergency shelters overseen by the US government while struggling with the conditions, including trouble sleeping under bright lights and infrequent phone calls to family members.

The testimonials offer a detailed look into the conditions within a network of emergency shelters hastily erected by the administration of US President Joe Biden to deal with a sharp rise in the number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the US-Mexico border.

In recent months...