Congresswoman, urges caseworkers at Ft. Bliss Migrant Facility to pick up the pace
EL PASO, Texas-- The shelter at Fort Bliss meant to house migrant children, has El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar concerned for the children in it.
"I spoke with kids on Sunday girls who have not spoken to their case worker in two weeks that is absolutely unacceptable, unacceptable they told me their sponsors had no status of what their case work was," Congresswoman Veronica Escobar said.
The shelter is currently able to house 5,000 children there is now talk of doubling the capacity to 10,000 children. The Biden Administratoin worked to clear out the number of migrant children out of Border Patrol custody and into HHS. However, this facility, is quickly becoming crowded, making it hard to keep an eye on all children there.
"There are rows and rows of bunks hundreds of boys sleeping in one tent, its not good for their physical health, it's not good for their mental health and I don't think it is possible to adequately supervise," Escobar said.
The tent is supposed to be a middle ground between CBP custody, and the children's sponsors home. However, with more and more children coming to the U.S./Mexico border, the Biden administration is now faced with having to increase an already packed facility. Still, Congresswoman Escobar, prefers these children be housed at Fort Bliss rather than CBP custody, she wants more to be done.
"In many ways it is far better for them they are safe they are in an instillation where they are protected but I do believe those tents need to be much smaller for their safety for their health and for the benefit of the staff as well," Escobar said.
With the possibility of the shelter expanding the population to 10,000 migrant children, Escobar would like to see officials pump the brakes.
"We need to get this site right before it gets expanded that's my view that is what I am going to insist on the reason why it might expand is because some of the other emergency facilities are shutting down," Escobar said.
