Trump administration prepares to house migrant children separated from parents

ICE officers arrest an undocumented immigrant.

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

published 15 May 2018

The Trump administration is apparently moving ahead with its plans to separate children from their parents in cases where the family has crossed the border illegally, The Washington Post reports. The controversial plan is part of a new "zero tolerance" policy announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this month when he said, "If you don't want your child separated, then don't bring them across the border illegally."

The Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for the underage migrants, is apparently making site visits at military bases in Texas and Arkansas as possible places to house the children until an adult relative can take them into custody. No decisions have been made, although the locations being considered include the Army's Fort Bliss, Goodfellow Air Force Base, and Dyess Air Force Base — all in Texas — as well as the Little Rock Air Force Base.

The Department of Homeland Security did not have an estimate of how many children it would need to hold, although the Post suggested it could be "thousands."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.