Biden Administration Opening Facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania to House Illegal Immigrant Children
President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday announced plans to open facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania as officials struggle to care for the surging number of illegal immigrant minors crossing into the United States from Mexico.
The emergency sites in Albion and Erie will together have a potential capacity of 888 beds. Both are designated for children aged 12 and under who cross the border without a parent or other responsible adult. The children are known as unaccompanied minors.
The number of illegal border crossers soared in March, Biden’s second full month in office, topping 172,000, a jump of over 71,000 from the month prior. The number of unaccompanied minors more than doubled to 18,890.
10 Apr 2021
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials announced the opening of two more Emergency Intake Sites (EIS) to move increasing numbers of unaccompanied children out of Customs and Border Protection custody. The move mirrors recent announcements by HHS to address the surge in unaccompanied children migrants flooding the southern border.
One new EIS facility will be located at Starr Commonwealth campus in Albion, Michigan, about 70 miles from the U.S.-Canada border. The Starr Commonwealth EIS will provide housing for children ages 12 and under and has a potential capacity of 240 beds. Another will open at Pennsylvania International Academy (PIA) in Erie, Pennsylvania. The PIA EIS will also provide shelter for children ages 12 and under and has a potential capacity of 648 beds.