Migrant kids play, watch TV in what US calls model shelter
Amy Taxin And Julie Watson
Associated Press
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Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, left, looks at a map tracking a migrant s journey at an emergency shelter for migrant children Friday, July 2, 2021, in Pomona, Calif. The Biden administration on Friday gave a rare look inside an emergency shelter it opened to house migrant children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border alone, calling the California facility a model among its large-scale sites, some of which have been plagued by complaints. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Pool)
Biden administration showcases model shelter for migrant children
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July 3, 2021 Share
Teenage boys chased down soccer balls on grassy fields. Dormitory beds were organized into small pods with a TV in each section. Some kids lay on the cots reading, while others played cards nearby with caseworkers.
The Biden administration on Friday gave a rare look inside an emergency shelter it opened to house migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone, calling the California facility a model among its large-scale sites.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, whose agency is in charge of caring for migrant children, was joined by elected officials as he toured the shelter housing nearly 1,400 children at the Los Angeles County fairgrounds in the city of Pomona. Two journalists from The Associated Press were allowed to accompany them and shared notes and photos of the tour with other news outlets as part of a pool arrangement.
The visit is Becerra s second such tour in a week to one of the temporary facilities set up by the government this spring as tens of thousands of children, mostly fleeing violence in Central America, crossed the border alone. Of the 14 centers that opened, two have been shuttered because they did not meet government standards; others have been closing as more children are released to family in the U.S. or to facilities with higher levels of care.
While the emergency shelters are widely considered an improvement over border holding facilities packed with kids, the Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to address concerns that migrant children have been languishing in the unlicensed sites rather than being quickly reunited with their families in the United States, causing anxiety and panic attacks.
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