The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is no longer considering using Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls to house unaccompanied migrant children from the southern border.
Malmstrom was one of several military bases being considered for use as "temporary emergency influx" shelters in case those closer to the southern border fill up before the end of September.
“Malmstrom Air Force Base is no longer being looked at to house unaccompanied alien children,” said Second Lieutenant Denise Guiao-Corpuz, the Malmstrom Public Affairs Officer.
She did not disclose why the Department of Health and Human Services made its decision. The base would have been able to house up to 3,500 children.
Over 13,000 children who crossed the border alone or were separated from their parents are currently being housed in more than 100 shelters across the country.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement is the agency responsible for children age 17 and under. It’s on track to care for the largest number of unaccompanied youth in the program’s history this fiscal year.
Federal officials are still considering other locations, including Fort Sill southwest of Oklahoma City.
