That funding, which amounts to $ 3.1 billion per year, is used to care for children in facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after they’ve been transferred from Border Patrol. Those costs are expected to rise dramatically over the coming months, volgens a Washington Post analysis.
The administration has quickly set up 10 emergency shelters with 16,000 temporary beds for migrant children in convention centers and repurposed oil worker camps and military bases. HHS had rapidly filled up the 7,700 beds in its network of permanent shelters, where the cost of care comes out to $ 290 per child, according to the Post analysis.
Tans, 8,500 children are living in pop-up sites, en 4,000 more are waiting to be transferred from border facilities.
HHS OPENS NEW SITE FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN NEAR PACKED DONNA FACILITY
But the cost of housing children at emergency sites is significantly higher than more permanent shelters, according to Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for HHS’s Administration for Children and Families. He said the daily cost of caring for a child there is “ongeveer $ 775 per day based on past experience.”
Teens and children spend an average of 31 days in HHS custody before they are released to a vetted family member or a sponsor, according to HHS data. Dit gaan oor $ 24,000 for each minor held at facilities, without including time spent in Border Patrol care.
PENTAGON OKS THIRD MILITARY BASE TO HOUSE MIGRANT CHILDREN AMID SURGE
