US reopening facility to house unaccompanied migrant children

The United States (US) is set to reopen a facility near the border with Mexico in order to help migrant children. The site will start housing unaccompanied migrant children at the migrant facility who enter the United States without their parents. 

Two U.S. officials familiar with the matter have confirmed that the site, a former work camp in Carrizo Springs in Texas, will be open soon to house migrant children. 

What can migrant children expect?

The Joe Biden administration in the United States has confirmed the reopening of the migrant facility in order to accommodate migrant children, who have been crossing the U.S. southern border in recent months.

The Texas authorities will provide shelter and food to a group of unaccompanied migrants. The unaccompanied migrant children will receive essential care at this facility. The migrant children would be kept at a standard care provider facility.

The same location was also used in 2021 to house migrant teenagers. The authorities helped migrant teenagers and provided them food and shelter. 

Texas housing facility reopened for migrant children

This is the second time in less than two months that the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, has reopened a migrant facility to help migrant children.

In September, a Texas housing facility was reopened for migrant children. The US authorities reopened the Pecos facility in Texas. The United States Department of Health of Human Services reactivated the site to help around 500 migrant children.

Under federal law, Health of Human Services is bound to help migrants. HHS takes care of migrant children until they reach legal age. 

HHS is also set to open another influx housing facility to house migrant children. A former boarding school in Greensboro, North Carolina, will be converted to “influx care facilities” to help migrants. 

13,000 unaccompanied migrant children arrives in the US

In August, more than 13,000 unaccompanied migrant children arrived in the US. Last month, HHS received more than 12,000 migrant children. In July, around 9,400 migrant children arrived in the US. HHS received an average of 431 migrant children per day in August.

As of 12 October, HHS was housing 10,960 unaccompanied migrants.