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On Tuesday, the US Department of Defense received a request from President Joe Biden’s administration. A spokesman for the department, John Kirby said the Biden administration asked the Department to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children at 2 Army bases in Texas. Kirby offered the information to reporters during a Tuesday news conference in response to a query about updates regarding the migrant surge along the US-Mexico border. Kirby said the Defense Department just received a request from the Department of Health and Human Services and didn’t have many details to offer. But, he said the HHS identified 2 specific bases including Fort Bliss (headquartered in El Paso) and Joint Base San Antonio and needs permission for temporary migrant housing.

Kirby said, “The department has received a request for assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children. They’ve asked specifically for use of Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland, Texas, and Fort Bliss, Texas”. Kirby also said he had not yet seen the request and was thus unsure how many unaccompanied migrant children the HHS designed to temporarily house at each base. The length of time the HHS intended to house those unaccompanied migrant children also was not immediately clear. Kirby added, “As I understand it, they have certainly looked at both facilities, and I’d let them speak to what specifically they’re looking for, in terms of numbers”.

Point to be noted that the latest surge in migrants at the US-Mexico border began following Biden’s inauguration. Biden’s reversal of the Trump-era policy resulted in a surge of migrants hoping to cross into the US. However, the leaders of some border towns have called upon the administration to re-evaluate its strategies for releasing migrants after processing. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas has avoided calling the situation at the border a Crisis. He said the department officials are working around the clock to ensure that we don’t have a crisis at the border. Mayorkas also criticized the Trump administration for putting policies in place that triggered the surge once Biden took office.