U.S. to open third military base to illegal child immigrants

2014-06-09T21:00:25-04:00

The Obama administration on Monday announced it is designating a third U.S. military base for emergency housing of children immigrating illegally into the United States without parents or relatives, as the cost of caring for these minors escalated.

Senior administration officials, who asked not to be identified, told reporters that an Army base at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, will initially hold 600 "unaccompanied minors" and eventually will be able to accommodate up to 1,200.

In recent weeks, the Obama administration has opened similar emergency shelters at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and Naval Base Ventura County in Southern California.

The moves come amid a tidal wave of children trying to slip into the United States, largely from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, often to join a parent already here.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2014 9:09 PM

2014-06-09T21:09:20-04:00

This is very interesting. Nice to see that we are doing something to keep the kids out of the human trafficking market. But I wonder if there is other things we could do instead or in addition to.

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made Jun 10 at 2014 5:33 AM

2014-06-10T05:33:45-04:00

I like to see action on this, I do not think it is wise to use the military

Response by SSG Robin Rushlo made Jun 10 at 2014 6:57 AM

2014-06-10T06:57:45-04:00

Lets open the bases for HOMELESS VETS !!!

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jun 10 at 2014 11:46 AM

2014-06-10T11:46:06-04:00

I can now see us being accused of running concentration camps....

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 27 at 2014 5:43 AM

2014-07-27T05:43:06-04:00

The illegal immigrant children are being housed by order of the SecDef in an agreement with HHS, FEMA, DHS, ICE, BP. It's my understanding the feeding and care of the children is not supposed to interfere with normal routine onboard the base.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2014 12:59 AM

2014-11-25T00:59:17-05:00

Granted it is a humanitarian crisis and we gotta take care of the kids, but it makes you wonder where the line will be drawn in the sand. The way it is now, if you flood us with "x" crime, this case being illegal immigration", the U.S. will cave in to the rule of law.
Emma Lazarus' quote, which is on Lady Liberty, states "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". We are a nation of immigrants, but we are becoming a nation of selective law enforcement.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2014 4:59 AM

2014-11-25T04:59:57-05:00

im torn on this. if a kid is young, then yes. if a kid is around 15+, deport like anyone else. there is a process to citizenship. a lot of my family members had to go through it, so im a little harsh on people breaking the law. right way to do things and a wrong way. if you support people breaking your law, then you have pretty much told them that laws can be broken. not a good way to start citizenship. kids that look older can lie about their age too. so they need to send those close cases back. they could be gangster or terrorists. no time to change them.

Response by CPO Rick Felty made Dec 8 at 2014 8:17 PM

2014-12-08T20:17:44-05:00

This is total bullshit. We have veterans that are hungry and homeless, cannot get treated. Decent at the V.A., they sleep under bridges, in gulleys off the freeway in the brush. Beg on the off ramps. Get despised at, these men and women SERVED IN THE MILITARY FOR THE UNITED STATES, BORN CITIZENS that cannot get the kind of help they are giving these kids. When. In the hell are we going to ship them out the taxpayers are sick and tired of footing the bill for illegals. Legal citizens cannot get close to the front of the line at food banks before they run out of food, illegals take all their kids with them and each kid gets food as well as the parents. If they do not have kids they borrow somone else's. WAKE UP AMERICA ! We have dilipatated WWII barracks all over the U.S. Bases we could house these homeless veterans in to get them off the streets. They could be given. Food coupons to eat. At low cost restaurants BY GOD OUR. VETS COME BEFORE ILLEGALS, AND WE MEED TO SHIP THEM BACK WHERE THEY CAME. FROM. SO CONGRESS GET OFF YOUR ASS OR WE CAN DUMP THEM IN YOUR BACKYARD !!!!!!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2014 11:41 AM

2014-12-09T11:41:23-05:00

What the eff is going on in this country...

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2015 11:01 PM

2015-04-11T23:01:36-04:00

We have to much at stake on military bases to be letting undocumented people on them even if there are separated by some means. Send those children back to their country they came from and take care of our own. Like others have said, why dont we open up our bases if we have the room to veterans who need the help? People need to realize that we can not take care of all of the worlds problems, we have enough issues dealing with our own. With all of these back door deals and rekindled relationships with countries we have had not relations with for decades, it makes alot of people think there has to be a motive to all of it.

Response by TSgt Tim (lj) Littlejohn made Apr 12 at 2015 9:06 PM

2015-04-12T21:06:31-04:00

I cry and pray for the children all over the world every day. We need to make the rest of world sit and take notice. Here in the U.S. we need to put them on a plane home, I think the best plan is to bus them to their Embassy or the UN and drop them off.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Apr 19 at 2015 12:38 PM

2015-04-19T12:38:06-04:00

More than one person has mentioned using the buildings for homeless vets and many say you have to do something about the kids for humanitarian reasons.

Is there a way that these can be combined?

Could the homeless get the necessary medical care and stability of having a roof and somehow exchange that for helping the children?

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 13 at 2015 12:36 PM

2015-08-13T12:36:22-04:00

Why not open it to homeless vets first?!

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Aug 13 at 2015 12:53 PM

2015-08-13T12:53:50-04:00

Interesting that we can accommodate illegal anchor kids but have a homeless Veteran problem.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2016 8:04 AM

2016-03-25T08:04:18-04:00

SGM Matthew Quick good question, but you missed a few facts. Mexico's southern border is one of the most secure in the world, and you really can get shot trying to cross it. So Mexico is complicit in this, running an underground railroad transporting kids the long way across its entire country to dump them in our laps.

I think at least one group of kids should be loaded onto an airplane, and landed in Mexico City, along with the note, "You transported them across your country. Now you figure out how to send them back where they came from."

Response by CPO Dave Mcneeley made May 27 at 2017 11:15 PM

2017-05-27T23:15:37-04:00

Why not take care of the homeless veterans