Closure of tent city for migrant children delayed: report

The closure of a temporary Texas “tent city” housing migrant children has been delayed for a second time, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

A spokesperson for the agency confirmed to CBS News that the tents in Tornillo, Texas, will not be shut down as planned on Aug. 12.

“HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is continuously monitoring bed capacity available to provide shelter for minors who arrive at the U.S. border unaccompanied and are referred to HHS for care by immigration officials, as well as the information received from interagency partners, to inform any future decisions or actions,” the spokesperson said.

{mosads}The spokesperson said that the agency will “continue to assess” whether the shelter is necessary.

The facility, which opened in June and holds about 450 beds, was supposed to be in place for 30 days, according to CBS News. It houses a number of immigrant children, including some who were separated from their parents under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.

An official at BCFS, the nonprofit that operates the tent city, told CBS that the decision to open the facility was “a dumb, stupid decision that should’ve never happened.” The nonprofit will continue to operate the shelter, according to CBS.

The Trump administration, after a court order, has reunited the majority of children separated from their parents under the policy. But several hundred children are still in U.S. custody, and many of their parents of have been deported.