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The Associated Press is reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is building a huge holding center near the border with Mexico to accommodate the surge of undocumented children entering the country.
The permits, obtained by the Associated Press on Monday through a public records request, reveal plans for four fence-enclosed pods inside a corrugated steel warehouse in McAllen that could eventually accommodate about 1,000 children."
This development comes as comprehensive immigration reform remains out of reach, as government officials are still pushing their preferred solutions to the recent child migrant surge. Since October, more than 52,000 children have been apprehended on the U.S./Mexico border as part of an influx blamed on gang violence in Central America and rumors of permits allowing migrants to stay.
Authorities can't agree on what to do. In the House, Democrats have introduced a bill that would provide the kids with immigration lawyers. Meanwhile Republicans are pushing for increased border security, and some officials are penning pleas to parents to stop sending their kids.
More immigration lawyers
During a press conference on Monday, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said it's a "fantasy to believe that they have a fair shot in immigration proceedings without counsel," according to Reuters. He and other lawmakers supporting the bill argue that 40 to 50 percent of undocumented children would win the right to stay in the U.S., according to studies by the United Nations, and the country could save $2 billion it now spends on housing.