The Department of Health and Human Services has asked the Pentagon for approval to temporarily house migrant children at military bases, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday.
The Pentagon received a request to shelter migrant children at Joint Base San Antonio and Fort Bliss, Texas. HHS has requested vacant dormitory space at JBSA and the use of land at Fort Bliss.
Around 3,000 unaccompanied minors are currently in Border Patrol custody in the Rio Grande Valley alone, sources told the Daily Caller. The Border Patrol has detained over 11,000 migrant children since the beginning of March, more than in all of February.
Federal agencies are currently struggling to find housing for unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border from Mexico, amid a surge of illegal border crossings. The U.S. Border Patrol is required to transfer unaccompanied migrant children to HHS custody after detention and processing, however the amount of children crossing the border has put pressure on both agencies.
The Biden administration has already ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to work with HHS at the southern border to provide housing for child migrants. U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement has booked hotel rooms at the border to contend with an influx of migrant families. Additionally, the Border Patrol made a request to fly some migrants to states near the Canadian border for processing on Friday.