Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS To Open New Shelters For Unaccompanied Minors
The Wall Street Journal: Biden Tries To Stem Border Surge With Diplomacy, More Shelter Space
Besides the diplomatic efforts, officials are trying to find more bed space for unaccompanied minors at shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services so they can be moved out of Border Patrol custody more quickly. On Thursday, the Office of Refugee Resettlement was caring for 11,900 minors—96% of its current capacity—with another 5,156 minors in Border Patrol custody waiting to be transferred to shelters. ORR, the HHS agency that cares for the minors until it can find them suitable adult sponsors, has raced to open at least seven other temporary shelters so far, including new sites at the convention center in San Diego and on military bases in San Antonio and Fort Bliss, Texas. (Hackman and Parti, 3/25)
Houston Public Media: Biden Administration To House Unaccompanied Migrant Children At San Antonio, El Paso Military Bases
The Biden administration officially plans to use military bases in San Antonio and El Paso to house a growing number of unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody. The Department of Defense approved a request to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children at its Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and at El Paso's Fort Bliss. (Mendez and Palacios, 3/25)
KTXS: Sen. Cornyn Confirms That Freeman Coliseum Will House Up To 2,400 Migrant Children
Unaccompanied migrant children seeking asylum could be housed in a large building just a couple of blocks from the Alamo. Sen. John Cornyn tweeted out that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would have 2,400 beds set up at the Freeman Coliseum to house unaccompanied migrant children, along with 350 beds at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. (Galli, 3/25)
Fox News: HHS Asks Federal Employees To Volunteer To Help With Child Migrant Surge
The Biden administration is calling for federal employees to help with a spike in child migrants, as officials scramble to cope with the influx -- just hours after President Biden downplayed the surge. In a job posting, the Department of Health and Human Services requests federal government employees for a 120-day deployment to support the department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at facilities where unaccompanied children are housed. (Shaw, 3/25)
