Continuing a recent trend, Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the opening of two more Emergency Intake Sites (EIS) to hold unaccompanied children out of Customs and Border Protection custody.
The move mirrors recent announcements by HHS to address the surge in unaccompanied child migrants (UACs) at the southern border.
New EIS facilities will be located at two existing sites in Dimmit and Pecos Counties, Texas. The sites add capacity to receive another 2,440 minors from Border Patrol facilities. The first UACs began arriving April 5.
According to HHS, the EIS shelters will provide required standards of care for children, such as clean sleeping quarters, meals, toiletries, laundry, and access to medical services. A COVID-19 health screening protocol for all children will reportedly be implemented to follow CDC guidelines. Services will be provided by a combination of contractors and federal staff – including teams from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
