The Trump administration has outlined a “zero tolerance” policy for those entering the United States illegally, including separating parents and children at the border, which has led to a rise in the number of migrant children who need a place to live while their immigration cases play out.
In April alone, nearly 10,000 border patrol arrests were people who came as a family. Another 4,000 were unaccompanied children.
So where do those children go when they’re taken away from their parents?
The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) runs about 100 shelters in 14 states for children who are picked up at the border, some go into a federal foster care and some end up in juvenile detention centers. But those systems are filling up, leading to the HHS to consider housing immigrant children on military bases.
Michelle Brane is the director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission, and The Show spoke with her about HHS's plan.
