Biden Administration Eyes Army Base to House Migrant Children
A Honduran mother carries her son, 4, across the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a group of at least 25 asylum seekers who where were allowed to travel from a migrant camp in Mexico into the United States on February 25, 2021 in Matamoros, Mexico. The group was the first allowed to cross into south Texas as part of the unwinding of the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols, (MPP), also known as the 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy. Many of the immigrants had been waiting in the squalid camp alongside the Rio Grande for more than a year. Last week the first group of 25 MPP immigrants entered from Tijuana into San Ysidro, California. John Moore/Getty Images

The Biden administration is looking at a Virginia military base as a possible site to house unaccompanied migrant children. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed on Friday that the Fort Lee was under consideration, Reuters reported.

"Upon request from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Army coordinated a site assessment at Fort Lee, Virginia for HHS personnel to determine if certain facilities at Fort Lee may be suitable for providing temporary housing for unaccompanied children," Mitchell said in a statement to The Hill.

However, Mitchell noted that the Defense Department has yet to receive a formal request from HHS to use the Army facility about 30 miles south of Richmond.

After President Joe Biden exempted migrant children in February from a Trump-era policy known as Title 42, there was a sharp rise in the number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks.

HHS runs shelters that hold the migrant children before they are released to parents or other sponsors in the U.S., and the increasing number of migrant children coming across the southwestern border puts a strain on these HHS facilities.

Facing overcapacity in the facilities, the Biden administration plans to convert two family detention centers in Texas that were used shortly by the Trump administration. HHS said it urgently needs to find more shelter sites for migrant children.

Biden's Immigration Reform Bill

House Democrats halted plans for a vote on Biden's immigration reform bill after a count revealed that it might not pass, according to a New York Post report.

The immigration reform bill would create a path to citizenship for some 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. However, Republicans said that would create a sudden spike in new migrants rushing to the border.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said they need to engage in some consultation with key members and stakeholders, adding that he sees no reason why it would not mark up when they reconvene in April.

Centrist Rep. Tom O'Halleran noted that he was among the lawmakers that feel uneasy with the immigration reform bill.

"We need to have a discussion. It was put together by a few people. I don't know what the role of the administration has been," O'Halleran told Politico.

Biden's immigration plan would allow illegal immigrants a five-year period of temporary legal status, which would then be followed with a green card, after which they could apply for citizenship.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that all children who report to the U.S.-Mexico border would be allowed into the country despite the current immigration crisis, according to another New York Post report.

Psaki noted that it should be no surprise that there is an increase in illegal immigrant children coming without their parents after the policy changes under Biden.

He said more migrant children are coming to the U.S. since the administration has let unaccompanied minors stay, "and the last administration "kicked them out."

Psaki immediately answered "No" when asked if there are any discussions within the White House about a possible reversal of the policy the allows all migrant children to enter the U.S.

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