DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — The U.S. government is spending at least $60 million per week caring for more than 16,000 migrant teenagers and children in shelters at a cost of $290 per day per child. Those costs are expected to rise significantly as the numbers of children crossing the border continue to increase forcing the Biden administration to create new mass shelters.
The Washington Post did an analysis of data from the Department of Health and Human Services showing an immediate need for temporary beds in convention centers, military bases and oil work camps. The price of these shelters is more than twice as high as the over-crowded permanent shelters.
Kenneth Wolfe, spokesman for HHS’s Administration for Children and Families said “due to the need to develop facilities quickly and hire significant staff over a short period of time,” the average daily cost per child is “approximately $775 per day.”
The Texas Tribune reports 172,331 migrants were taken into custody in March. In February U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced an $87 million contract to house migrant families in hotel rooms along the border while they are processed and typically released with a pending court date.
