The Pentagon is considering the construction of new facilities, including tent cities, to house 20,000 immigrant children apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, a Defense Department official told the Washington Examiner.
Three military bases in Texas and one in Arkansas are currently being considered by the Department of Health and Human Services, but the agency has not yet notified the Pentagon if it will end up using the bases and how much housing might be needed at each, said the official, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly on the issue.
[Related: Putting migrant children in tent cities costs $775 per person per night: Report]
The agency formally requested 20,000 beds for the immigrant children this week, and any new facilities will likely be temporary tents or other low-cost buildings used by the military in war zones, the official said.
HHS would be in charge of managing the facilities and caring for the children, and the Department of Homeland Security would be required to reimburse the military for use of its bases, according to an executive order issued by President Trump on Wednesday.
The order temporarily ended the administration’s policy of separating children from their families after illegal border crossings. It also directs the Pentagon to be in charge of building any needed housing. Most of the 20,000 children to be housed on military facilities are expected to be unaccompanied alien children, and not children separated from their parents at the border.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis “shall take all legally available measures to provide to the secretary (of Homeland Security), upon request, any existing facilities available for the housing and care of alien families, and shall construct such facilities if necessary and consistent with law,” according to the order.
