Biden administration looking at using Army base to house migrant children
The US government is evaluating a Virginia military base as a possible site to house unaccompanied migrant children amid a sharp rise in migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border, according to a US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notice seen by Reuters.
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Fort Lee, a US Army facility in Virginia, was under consideration.
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The number of migrant children arriving at the southwest border has increased in recent months, putting pressure on HHS-run shelters that house the children before they are released to parents or other sponsors in the United States.
In the notice, HHS said it urgently needs to find more shelter space for unaccompanied minors. The department said it must “aggressively” find solutions for the rising number of children entering the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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