The Trump administration is seeking contractors capable of rapidly opening large detention facilities for as many as 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children at a time, according to planning documents and details provided to prospective operators, expanding the government's capacity to hold minors as immigration enforcement accelerates.
The proposed "emergency influx facilities" would house children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian. Unaccompanied minors are placed under the responsibility of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, and are currently accommodated across more than 150 federally funded shelters.
Under specifications presented to potential contractors Tuesday, facilities could place as many as eight children in a room, with those occupants sharing one toilet, one shower and one sink. Sites would also require an eight-foot perimeter fence, while recreation areas could consist of a combination of indoor and outdoor space.
The Administration for Children and Families is seeking a system designed to expand quickly when the government needs additional capacity. Contractors would be expected to accommodate at least 400 children within 30 days of receiving an award, after which federal officials could add capacity through increments of as many as 1,000 beds.
"This gives us speed," one official told prospective contractors. "We're looking to see whatever you got."
No locations have been publicly identified. Officials indicated that contracts could be awarded by the end of the year, setting up a network that could be activated or enlarged as the number of children in federal custody changes.
The specifications also establish proximity requirements for medical services. Proposed sites must be within 30 miles of a hospital and within the same distance of pediatric, dental, behavioral-health and diagnostic services, while being within 60 miles of an airport is preferred.
The government is also requiring substantial quarantine capacity. A 400-bed facility would need at least 40 quarantine beds, a 1,000-bed operation would require 100, and a 3,000-child campus would need 300.
The expansion effort comes as the administration is moving more aggressively to resolve immigration cases involving minors. ProPublica reported that immigration judges have recently issued more than 10,000 removal and voluntary-departure orders involving immigrant minors each month, exceeding the pace recorded during President Trump's first administration.
Advocates have separately challenged administration efforts involving children already in federal custody. Lawyers representing Guatemalan teenagers last year went to court to halt a late-night removal operation, later accusing the administration of using "misinformation, coercion, threats and fear" in an effort to encourage some children to leave the U.S. voluntarily. The administration has contested allegations surrounding its treatment of immigrant minors.
The detention expansion is unfolding alongside disruption to federally supported legal representation. About 20,000 immigrant children lost government-backed legal services after a longstanding arrangement with the Acacia Center for Justice ended last month without an immediate replacement.
Federal law requires special protections for unaccompanied children. Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, the government is directed to "ensure, to the greatest extent practicable" that unaccompanied minors receive legal counsel and are protected against exploitation, trafficking and mistreatment.
The government's effort to replace legal-service providers has itself generated controversy. Texas-based Burke Law Group was positioned to potentially receive as much as $150 million, according to an HHS notice, despite questions from critics about its experience representing unaccompanied migrant children.
Burke subsequently withdrew from consideration. "We have decided not to apply for a grant or a contract and we withdrew from consideration," the firm said, adding that it had contemplated handling only "a small portion" of the potential funding.
Democratic senators have pressed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for information about the selection process. Their questions come as HHS has separately awarded a no-bid contract worth at least $158 million to Our Rescue, an anti-trafficking organization, with federal filings indicating the total could eventually exceed $244 million.
Our Rescue Chief Executive Derek Benner defended the organization's role. "Our Rescue is steadfast on our mission to help vulnerable children across the US and around the world. These are among the most vulnerable children in the world, and they deserve nothing less than the full weight of our experience. We welcome this responsibility and are working on their behalf."
