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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 17 deceMber 2018

O'Rourke, other Dems don't want tent city's contract renewed

By WILL WEISSERT state — was joined by U.S. co border. Since then, the
Associated Press Sens. Mazie Hirono of Ha- contract keeping it open
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Rep. waii, Jeff Merkley of Ore- has been renewed, and
Beto O'Rourke and four oth- gon and Tina Smith of Min- the numbers of kids be-
er Democratic members of nesota, and California Rep. ing held inside has grown,
Congress toured a remote Judy Chu. though determining how
tent city in West Texas on O'Rourke said he and his fast and by how much has
Saturday where they said colleagues weren't allowed proven difficult.
that 2,700 immigrant teens to speak to the children in The lawmakers said the
are being held at a cost of any meaningful way. contractor running the fa-
roughly $1 million per day. "They kind of nodded their cility, BCFS Health and Hu-
The lawmakers urged the heads, but what are they man Services, told them
nonprofit running the fa- going to say when every- that the tent city has cost
cility not to renew a fed- one around them is watch- taxpayers $144 million since
eral contract that expires ing?" O'Rourke said after opening, or about $1 mil-
Dec. 31, a longshot request U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, second from left, speaks with touring the facility. "But lion a day.
that could effectively shut- four other Democratic members of Congress after touring the there was something in The Democrats said they
ter the camp. It was sup- Tornillo international port of entry where several thousand im- the look on their faces that urged BCFS Health and Hu-
posed to be temporary but migrant teens are being housed Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, east we saw, the way that they man Services to refuse to
of El Paso, Texas. With him are from left, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.,
has instead taken in more Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-HI, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon and Rep. weren't really engaged in renew its contract with the
children and taken on a Judy Chu, D-Calif. the sports that they were U.S. government. But even
permanent feel with soc- Associated Press playing out on those fields." if that happened, the law-
cer fields, a dining facility "We need to shut it down," makers said they weren't
and tents housing separate O'Rourke — a Texan who tial candidate after nearly Chu added. "It is inhumane. sure where the children be-
sleeping quarters for boys has been mentioned as a upsetting Republican Sen. It is a child prison. It has no ing held at Tornillo would
and girls. potential 2020 presiden- Ted Cruz in his deep-red right to exist." be transferred as a result.
O'Rourke made no men- The Associated Press pre-
tion about his possible viously reported that
White House aspirations af- the Trump administra-
ter making his fourth visit to tion waved FBI fingerprint
the camp just outside Tornil- checks for caregivers and
lo. He noted the area was short-staffing mental health
about an hour's drive from workers at Tornillo.
his native El Paso, which O'Rourke said Saturday
borders Mexico at the west- that the contractor told
ernmost tip of Texas."It's in him that a recent agree-
a remote location on pur- ment with Texas now al-
pose so that the American lows for state background
people do not know what's checks, but that the facility
happening here," O'Rourke still doesn't have the ca-
told reporters. pacity to do FBI fingerprint
The lawmakers said 2,700 checks.
boys and girls between the The lawmakers said many
ages of 13 and 17 were of the teens have family al-
being held at Tornillo. They ready in the United States
described touring the tents who would like to take
housing the teens, but them. But federal authori-
could only ask light ques- ties have begun fingerprint-
tions. O'Rourke said he ing and conducting back-
asked a few of them what ground checks on would-
countries they were from — be "sponsors," resulting in
Guatemala and Honduras, 170 apprehensions on pos-
they said — and received sible immigration violations.
assurances that the condi- They also said that even
tions were "OK." with the added scrutiny,
Tornillo opened as a tem- the contractor said 1,300
porary facility in June, amid children have relatives
what President Donald ready to take them but
Trump's administration de- have remained at Tornillo
scribed as an emergency due to unexplained federal
situation on the U.S.-Mexi- delays.q