The Pentagon and Department of Health and Human Services continue to conceal just how many unaccompanied migrant children will be housed at military bases across the United States.
As migrants have surged across the border in the opening months of the Biden administration, Customs and Border Protection temporary facilities have become overwhelmed, and migrant children are being transferred to alternate facilities. In past border surges during the Obama and Trump administrations, tens of thousands of migrant children were housed at military bases. Today, the DOD and HHS refuse to disclose the number of accommodations they are preparing for unaccompanied migrant children.
“I’m not going to speak to the numbers,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the Washington Examiner at a Monday press briefing.
“We are working in lockstep with HHS and will continue to fill their requests and to support their request to the best of our ability,” he added.
‘TRULY DISTURBING’: DOD APPROVES HHS REQUEST TO HOUSE MIGRANT CHILDREN AT MILITARY BASES IN TEXAS
HHS again declined Monday to respond to an inquiry by the Washington Examiner for the total number of migrants it is planning to house at military bases.
HHS outlined the facilities it has already secured to add 5,350 beds for unaccompanied children in a statement last week.
Facilities include the two military installations announced by the DOD last week, soft-sided buildings being constructed at Fort Bliss, and 350 beds in a vacant dormitory at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
The Pentagon confirmed that Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado has also been inspected by HHS for possible use, but no further requests for site visits or base use were announced.
HHS sites go beyond military installations, to include a facility with 952 beds at Carrizo Springs, Texas, opened Feb. 22; one with 700 beds in Midland, Texas, and 2,300 beds in Dallas, both opened March 19; and one with 2,000 beds in Pecos, Texas, opened March 20. The Carrizo Springs site added 500 additional beds on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the San Diego Convention Center came online with 1,400 beds.
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Both the DOD and HHS assure the use of military bases have no operational impact or cost to the Defense Department.
“The use of these facilities will have no impact on DOD’s ability to conduct its primary missions or on military readiness. Military personnel will not be staffing these sites or providing care for the children,” an HHS statement read.
