Washington DC, Jun 28 (EFE).- The United States Department of Defense said late on Wednesday that it has been asked by US immigration authorities to house 12,000 undocumented immigrants – 2,000 of them within 45 days – in its military bases or separately constructed camps.
In a statement, the department said the Pentagon has been asked by the Department of Homeland Security to identify available facilities for the purpose, and if none were available, to identify land to build three camps to accommodate 4,000 immigrants in each.
The camps would be set up in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California, the states bordering Mexico to house the immigrants near the areas of detention.
“DHS requires the requested capacity to house 2,000 people within 45 days,” the Pentagon added.
Pentagon Chief Jim Mattis had said on Monday that facilities were being set up at Fort Bliss in El Paso and Goodfellow Air Base in San Angelo, both in Texas, to house undocumented immigrants.
The decision to shelter undocumented immigrants in military facilities was proposed after the US administration, led by President Donald Trump, suspended its controversial “zero tolerance” policy, which had separated children from their parents crossing the border without documents for two months and had led to national and global outrage.