{"id":53916,"date":"2018-08-16T20:23:36","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T20:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/16\/how-immigrant-children-were-housed-on-military-bases\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:19:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:19:32","slug":"how-immigrant-children-were-housed-on-military-bases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/16\/how-immigrant-children-were-housed-on-military-bases\/","title":{"rendered":"Why immigrant children were housed on military bases"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=d5e5712b-036b-480c-9b2c-9501600306e8\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-d5e5712b-036b-480c-9b2c-9501600306e8.png\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A potential piece of a plan to house unaccompanied immigrant children could be the use of military bases &#8211; a step that was employed in recent years before.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon got pulled into the debate over President Donald Trump\u2019s controversial immigrant family separation policy earlier this year after the administration voiced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/06\/28\/dhs-we-need-2000-beds-on-military-bases-in-next-45-days\/\" target=_blank>plans to house detained children<\/a> on American military bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No kids have been sent to the installations this summer, but if they do it won\u2019t be the first time bases have sheltered undocumented immigrant kids detained near the border with Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/06\/21\/up-to-20000-migrant-kids-may-be-sent-to-military-bases\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18172683585452.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Up to 20,000 migrant kids may be sent to military bases<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Dyess, Goodfellow, Fort Bliss and Little Rock are locations under consideration.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 16,000 minors ended up on military posts in California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas between 2012 and 2017, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/fas.org\/sgp\/crs\/natsec\/IN10937.pdf\" target=_blank>a recent Congressional Research Service report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the detained juveniles came from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador without their parents, according to the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, which oversees the care of kids after U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents take them into custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2046\" height=\"2048\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC6.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC6.jpg.jpg 2046w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC6.jpg.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC6.jpg.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC6.jpg.jpg?resize=768,769 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC6.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,1024 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2046px) 100vw, 2046px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">More than 7,200 immigrant children who arrived at the U.S. border alone were temporarily housed at Ft. Bliss, Texas, in 2016 and 2017. Some of them are shown here at mealtime. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/2016\/08\/26\/fort-bliss-complex-to-house-immigrant-children\/\" target=_blank>Fort Bliss<\/a>, an Army installation abutting the Texas border city of El Paso, housed 7,259 unaccompanied kids from September 2016 to February 2017, according to CRS. That time frame straddled the waning days of President Barack Obama\u2019s White House and the early months of Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The typical stay lasted 57 days, according to Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/07\/02\/immigrants-kids-could-outnumber-troops-4-1-at-texas-air-force-base\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180426-F-SL169-0055.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Immigrant kids could outnumber troops 4-1 at Texas Air Force base<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Goodfellow AFB is home to joint firefighting and intelligence schools.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio took in 800 kids from April 2012 to June 2012 and 4,357 kids from May to August of 2014, CRS found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fort Sill in Oklahoma hosted another 1,861 minors and California\u2019s Naval Base Ventura County received 1,540 more in 2014, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2016\/01\/25\/about-700-immigrant-children-now-staying-at-holloman-air-force-base\/\" target=\"_blank\">Holloman Air Force Base<\/a> in New Mexico briefly held 129 juveniles in early 2016, CRS added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1640\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC7.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC7.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC7.jpg.jpg?resize=300,240 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC7.jpg.jpg?resize=768,615 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC7.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,820 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC7.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1230 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">More than 7,200 immigrant children who arrived alone to the U.S. border in 2016 and 2017 were housed at Fort Bliss, Texas. Some of the living quarters are shown here in this U.S. Department of Health and Human Services photo. (HHS photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kids ended up on military bases between 2012 and 2016 because existing shelters were overwhelmed by the sheer number of children being detained along the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tasked with caring for nearly 60,000 unaccompanied minors in 2014, Health and Human Services \u201cran out of room&#8221; and kids \u201cwere backed up in border facilities, which were not designated for children,\u201d spokesman Weber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was that influx that generated photos of youngsters sleeping behind fences and under silver-colored blankets, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those images spread through social media during this year\u2019s debate and were <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/a98f26f7c9424b44b7fa927ea1acd4d4\" target=_blank>erroneously attributed<\/a> to Trump\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/a98f26f7c9424b44b7fa927ea1acd4d4\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">AP FACT CHECK: 2014 photo wrongly used to hit Trump policies<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A key policy difference between the Obama and Trump administrations was the controversial decision by today\u2019s White House to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/06\/19\/these-governors-are-recalling-their-states-national-guard-from-border-duty-over-trump-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\">separate children from their families<\/a> when they were detained together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before, that happened only \u201con very, very rare occasions,\u201d usually when agents suspected the adults were dangerous criminals or weren\u2019t the children\u2019s real parents, Weber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weber described the 50 buildings used to house youngsters at Bliss in 2016 as similar to \u201cQuonset huts,&#8221; with semi-permanent structures for classrooms and administrative centers erected near them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the minors were between the ages of 13 and 17 and Health and Human Services used about 50 acres of a training facility at Bliss to house them, Weber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sprawling across 1.12 million acres, Bliss is larger than Rhode Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC4.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC4.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC4.jpg.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC4.jpg.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC4.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC4.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">More than 7,200 immigrant children who arrived at the U.S. border alone were temporarily housed at Ft. Bliss, Texas, in 2016 and 2017. One is shown here at mealtime. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The military only provided space for lodging immigrants and no troops were diverted from their duties, according to Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHHS is responsible for all care of the children, including supervision, transportation, security, meals, clothing, and routine medical services,\u201d Davis said. \u201cNo DoD civilian employees or military personnel would be involved in these services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The children were screened for medical conditions before they arrived at military bases and they were released to parents or suitable guardians after the adults were found and vetted, according to Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weber said only minors without significant health problems entered military installations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If they got sick while there, they were transferred to providers contracted by the agency, not Defense Department hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC1.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC1.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC1.jpg.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC1.jpg.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC1.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC1.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">More than 7,200 immigrant children who arrived at the U.S. border alone were temporarily housed in buildings like this at Ft. Bliss, Texas, in 2016 and 2017. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few children were injured while staying at Bliss, but Weber characterized those injuries as standard stuff for youngsters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a couple soccer fields, kids would get hurt,\u201d Weber said. \u201cThings would happen when you have 2,000 kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Weber said his agency constantly works with the Pentagon to identify bases that could become emergency shelters for detained immigrants, no installations have been needed this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the number of juvenile detentions rise, however, bases could be activated and \u201ckids would receive the same level of care as HHS has provided in the past,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The practice of relying on military bases to absorb undocumented juveniles is different from 20th century practices, CRS found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In those cases, the armed forces took in people fleeing war or dictatorships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1367\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC5.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC5.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC5.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC5.jpg.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC5.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,684 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UAC5.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">More than 7,200 immigrant children who arrived at the U.S. border alone were temporarily housed at Ft. Bliss, Texas, in 2016 and 2017. Some are shown here playing soccer. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 4,000 ethnic Albanian refugees arrived at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in 1999 as ethnic warfare raged in the Balkans, according to CRS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another 25,000 Cuban refugees were housed at American bases from 1980 to 1982, after the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/castro-announces-mariel-boatlift\" target=_blank> Mariel boatlift crisis<\/a> sent as many as 125,000 immigrants to Florida\u2019s shores in 1980.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American military installations also took in nearly 51,000 Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian and Hmong refugees following the collapse of the Saigon and Phnom Penh governments in 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Military Times reporter Tara Copp contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the White House&#8217;s controversial immigrant family separation policy played out, plans were announced to house separated kids at U.S. military bases. They&#8217;ve been dragooned to do it before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3355],"class_list":["post-53916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4E2M5Y645ZEJBPR54K6I4FFBME","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2018\/08\/16\/how-immigrant-children-were-housed-on-military-bases\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why immigrant children were housed on military bases - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the White House&#039;s controversial immigrant family separation policy played out, plans were announced to house separated kids at U.S. military bases. They&#039;ve been dragooned to do it before.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why immigrant children were housed on military bases\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the White House&#039;s controversial immigrant family separation policy played out, plans were announced to house separated kids at U.S. military bases. 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