Biden Admin Reverses Course, Won’t House ‘Tender Age’ Immigrant Children at Military Base After Backlash

The Biden administration reversed course on plans to house “tender age” migrant children at a Texas military base following concerns regarding poor conditions and long-term stays, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, CBS News reported Monday.

The Department of Health and Human Services had expected to house up to 5,000 unaccompanied minor children under the age of 12 at Fort Bliss Army base. Becerra’s news marked a change to recent plans.

“We do not intend to house tender age children — children under the age of 12 — at the Fort Bliss facility,” Becerra said, according to CBS.

“We only have kids who are 12 to 17 at the Fort Bliss facility.”

Fort Bliss, a location that could house up to 10,000 unaccompanied minors, has been the subject of much recent criticism.

On April 15, NBC affiliate KTSM-TV reported 2,776 unaccompanied children were staying at the facility.

“The Fort Bliss EIS provides needed capacity to accept children referred by Customs and Border Protection into ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) care where they can be safely processed, cared for, and either released to a sponsor or transferred to an appropriate ORR shelter for longer-term care,” the outlet reported, citing a news release.

On Tuesday, a New York Times report revealed, “According to internal documents, the administration is planning to house up to 10,000 children there, half of whom would be 12 and under.”

The Times added, “About 4,400 teenagers currently live there.”