US wants to build more tents at border to detain migrants
HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. government is working to open two new large tent facilities to temporarily detain up to 1,000 migrants near the southern border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a notice to contractors that it wants to house 500 people in each camp in El Paso, Texas, and in South Texas.
The facilities could open in the next two weeks and operate through year end, with a cost that could reach $37 million.
In El Paso, the Border Patrol is already detaining hundreds of people in tents under conditions that advocates have described as inhumane. The agency says its resources are strained by an unprecedented rise in the numbers of parents and children crossing the border and requesting asylum.
CBP did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.