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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 17 april 2019
U.S. wants to build more tents at border to detain migrants

By NOMAAN MERCHANT
and CEDAR ATTANASIO
Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) — The Trump
administration wants to
open two new tent facilities
to temporarily detain up to
1,000 parents and children
near the southern border,
as advocates sharply criti-
cize the conditions inside
the tents already used to
hold migrants.
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection said in a notice
to potential contractors
that it wants to house 500
people in each camp in
El Paso, Texas, and in the
South Texas city of Donna,
which has a border cross-
ing with Mexico.
Each facility would consist
of one large tent that could
be divided into sections by
gender and between fami- In this Nov. 3, 2018, file photo, members of the U.S. Army build a razor wire fence around area for tents near the U.S.-Mexico
lies and children traveling International bridge, in Donna, Texas.
alone, according to the Associated Press
notice. Detainees would potential long-term deten- The Border Patrol also es- Sister Norma Pimentel, ex- taining people.
sleep on mats. There would tion, but families still some- tablished a tent facility at ecutive director of Catholic “Detention is never a good
also be laundry facilities, times wait several days to Donna to hold migrants in Charities of the Rio Grande idea for any family,” Pi-
showers, and an “addition- be processed by the agen- December 2016, in the last Valley, said she had been mentel said. “I believe
al fenced-in area” for “out- cy and released. weeks of the administration allowed to visit the tent fa- families are victims of a lot
side exercise/recreation.” The Border Patrol process- of former President Barack cility in 2016. She said that of abuse, and we just add
The notice says the facili- ing center in McAllen is rou- Obama, in response to a facility had been “open to that abuse by the way
ties could open in the next tinely over capacity . Kevin previous surge of migrants and clean,” but noted she we respond to handle and
two weeks and operate McAleenan, the new act- from Central America. visited before it began de- process them.”q
through year end, with a ing homeland security sec-
cost that could reach $37 retary, was scheduled to
million. But the agency visit McAllen Tuesday and
has said its resources are Wednesday. In El Paso,
strained by the sharp rise in hundreds of people are de-
the numbers of parents and tained in tents set up at the
children crossing the bor- center of a parking lot next
der and requesting asylum. to a patrol station. People
It made 53,000 apprehen- detained there have com-
sions in March of parents plained of prolonged expo-
and children traveling to- sure to cold. The Border Pa-
gether, most of whom say trol limits them to one warm
they are fleeing violence layer of clothing, confis-
and poverty in Central cates coats, and issues a
America. Many ultimately Mylar blanket to each de-
request asylum under U.S. tainee, citing health and
and international law. safety concerns. U.S. Rep.
In a statement Tuesday, Nanette Barragan, a Cali-
CBP said it urgently need- fornia Democrat, visited
ed additional space for the tents earlier this month.
detention and processing. She said she had seen a
“CBP is committed to find- mother with her 4-month-
ing solutions that address old child who had been
the current border security there for five or more days,
and humanitarian crisis at in conditions she said were
the southwest border in a “unhealthy.”
way that safeguards those Border Patrol officials have
in our custody in a humane declined to allow the me-
and dignified manner,” the dia inside the tents in El
statement said. Paso. Land near the bridge
The Border Patrol has in Donna was used last year
started directly releasing as a camp by active-duty
parents and children in- soldiers when they were or-
stead of referring them to dered to South Texas’ Rio
immigration authorities for Grande Valley.