Closure of "Tent City" for unaccompanied migrant children delayed for second time

Source: CBS News



By GRAHAM KATES CBS NEWS August 11, 2018, 9:02 AM

A "Tent City" in Texas for migrant boys will remain open until at least September 13 -- two months past its initial planned closure date of July 13, CBS News has learned. The shelter houses boys who were apprehended after crossing the Mexican border, unaccompanied when crossing, or separated from adults after coming into the U.S.

The facility, which includes two rows of bunk bed-lined tents, opened on June 14 at the Tornillo Port of Entry, which is located about 39 miles south of El Paso. The shelter is intended to be temporary and was initially slated to open for just 30 days, closing on July 13. However, in early July, the nonprofit contracted to manage it was notified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the facility would be needed for another 30 days.

A representative of BCFS, the nonprofit, told CBS News on August 7 that the Tornillo facility was still expected to close on August 13. By Friday August 10, that had changed, HHS confirmed in an email to CBS News.

"HHS' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is continuously monitoring bed capacity available to provide shelter for minors who arrive at the U.S. border unaccompanied and are referred to HHS for care by immigration officials, as well as the information received from interagency partners, to inform any future decisions or actions," an HHS spokesperson said. "HHS will continue to assess the need for this temporary shelter at Tornillo Land Port of Entry (LPOE), Tornillo, TX, based on projected need for beds and current capacity of the program."


Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/closure-of-tent-city-for-unaccompanied-migrant-children-delayed-for-second-time-texas-2018-08-11/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=55428103