Hundreds of migrant children detained all across the country are reportedly being sent to a tent camp in Tornillo, Texas, along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The minors were moved late at night to deter them from attempting escapes, according to anonymous shelter workers who spoke with the New York Times. In at least one instance, the children were given only hours of advance notice of the move.
The anonymous same shelter workers said the moves would open up shelters for children still waiting at the border.
The Tornillo camp, located 35 miles southeast of El Paso, opened in June for an initial time period of 30 days with an initial capacity of 400 kids. But its timescale and capacity have since been augmented. The camp can now hold thousands of children and will be open at least through the end of the year.
At the camp, the 20 children are placed in each tent, legal services are scarce, and the only education they are offered is workbooks.
Evelyn Stauffer, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department, defended the use of this sort of “temporary” facility to deal especially with the older kids who are more likely to be released soon via sponsorships.
But the report also mentions that immigrant advocates argue that the children could be stuck there for months.
Tornillo is in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, where Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones is hoping to defeat incumbent Republican Rep. Will Hurd in November. FiveThirtyEight’s projections have both candidates in a dead heat with near equal chances to win.
The Homeland Security stopped the “zero-tolerance” policy, which contributed problem of finding shelter for young migrants, this summer. It had mandated the separation of children from their families after they were apprehended trying to enter the United States between ports of entry.
